Don't let me fall
by ThatDayDreamer-x
Summary: Nine years ago everything was taken from Kim Micheals, a dark winters night set in motion a string of events that led to the downfall of her once stable happy family. She's an expert at playing safe, she's succeeded in keeping her secrets unspoken but the arrival of a certain wolf brings her crashing into a world where she's forced to face the truth. Jared/Kim. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**Author note; Hello! A new story, Kim/Jared, a new twist on their love story, I read so many normal ones of her simply being a nerd and him a jock so why not try something new and give my own twisted dramatic version of events :D Let me know what you think or where you think the story will go. It's not as dark as the first bit may suggest for all those wanting a cute love story, I just like to start my stories with a dark bang. That Day Dreamer xx**

**I do not own Twilight**

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_**~ Let me fall ~**_

_The dark winter fog swirled over the small house, the trees rustled around the dark yard in an eerily chime as if ringing out in warning of screams to come. Lights flickered from the porch as the old swinging seat creaked back and forth and everything fell silent, as if in waiting torment. The night was that made of nightmares, the night the fog came was the night people stayed indoors. Peering through shut curtains at the mist that covered the small town so thickly you wouldn't be able to see your own hand in front of your face._

_It was a strange night, made stranger by the blinding flash of lightening and a roar of thunder so loud no one heard the yells of help erupting from inside the Micheals family home, no one heard the smash of the windows or the snarling rips that echoed over the empty house._

_No; people knew nothing of the horrors that tore right across the street from them. Only the screeching of breaks and the cries of the little girl in her nightgown brought attention to the real strange goings on of that winters night._

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_**Nine years later**_

I started from my sleep, my body jerking violently against the bed beneath me as the dreams tore at the one place that was supposed to offer me peace and rest from the horrors of my past. Rolling over my eyes scanned over my baby sister's bed, making sure she was exactly where she was supposed to be. As most mornings she was, her little body hanging loosely over the bed, her mouth slid open in a gaping 'o' shape and her black hair stuck up in all directions that it shouldn't be sticking up in. Even after nine years I couldn't let go of my fear, the incident of my past far to drilled into my brain to be able to shut off for even a second.

I waited were I was, letting the hard pumping in my chest dim to a natural thud before swinging my legs from beneath the safe warmth of my duvet. Instantly the cold air hit me, my hand reached out for the radiator that lay behind my bed and as usual it was stone cold. It was a miracle either I or Bailey hadn't caught pneumonia by now, the heating in this god forsaken house hadn't worked for at least six years.

My eyes slid to the clock that lay on my bedside table, 6.30am enough time to do what needed to be done. My legs protested but I stood up, shivering against the stone cold room, even as the sun began sneaking through the clouds outside it would never be remotely warm in this room. It was May and it felt like December in here. Bailey's soft cough sounded as I tip toed my way to our joined bathroom, but as quickly as she had stirred she settled right back down and I continued on my way to the cold shower that would offer no relief from the morning chills.

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I pulled my old car into a parking space well away from the crowds of kids running back and forth the school parking lot. Bailey shot me her usual pleading look, begging me to let her stay in the car all day but I just smiled kindly. I felt bad for her, I mean school wasn't a great experience for me, I barely had friends but I was left alone. The kids in my classes had gotten past the stage of asking questions and making comments about the incident. But her class was young, they heard stories but didn't understand the pain behind the stories and so she was taunted for what had happened all those years ago. Despite only being a baby at the time she was asked and asked questions on a subject she barely knew about. And subsequently she hated school, she spent most lunch times sat in the teacher's room, it was where she could be left alone. Although I owed that thanks to Rachel Black, she was a trainee teacher in La Push Elementary and had taken pity on the little girl being teased and so Bailey now had one friend and to me it didn't matter it was a teacher as long as she had someone.

"Please?" Her little voice rang out against the mumbling around our car and I let out a long sigh as I prepared myself for the fight ahead. She wouldn't go in without a fight. I said nothing back, just checked that I looked somewhat decent, my dark brown hair sat messily in a high knot and I was dressed plainly in skinny jeans, old converse that looked as if they had seen far better days and a simple grey top that hung loosely on my slim body. I cared little for how I looked nobody paid attention to me anyway. But I tried to make sure Bailey looked somewhat normal, any money I had went on her to make sure she wasn't picked on for having crappy clothes as well as a crappy home life.

I flicked a dry cornflake off my jeans before stepping from the car, pulling my bag onto my shoulder I walked to the side of the car that remained shut and flung the door open. Bracing myself for the physical activity I was about to participate in. As per usual Bailey sat determined as ever not to move from her seat and as per usual I stretched across her little 10 year old body to unbuckle her, and then the kicking started. She was determined that one day I would give up and actually have her sit in my car all day, and I was just as determined to make sure she got through her school with a decent education; after all she needs one person in her life who actually gives a damn. My arms dragged at her, pulling her harshly from the car and I was sure that if anyone actually paid attention to me they would think I was kidnapping or abusing the tiny child held firmly in my grip.

"Please please please" She kicked her feet into the ground as we finally approached the steps into the small elementary part of La Push school, all three school stages were in the same grounds and so I wasn't even that far from her during the days. I pushed her harder and the bell for my own class rang out, I was going to be late again because of her little daily episode and I looked around as the car park began emptying. I was so going to be late.

"Bails" An older female voice called out and I looked up from the girl now led on the dirty floor beneath me to see Rachel Black, she smiled kindly at me, the same pity in her eyes as she always held. She like most people on the res knew the story of my family, and she like most people who had been old enough to understand what had happened looked at me with such sadness that it physically hurt me to see it. "I'll take it from here, go to class, she'll be fine I promise" She smiled at me again, taking my hands from my sister's arms she quickly picked the tiny ten year old up and began whisking her inside with ease. I had to say I was jealous at how well she managed to manoeuvre Bailey when it took me so long to even get her out of the car.

With another kind smile from Rachel I turned and rushed indoors, the final bell hadn't sounded yet and so I hurried to my locked, holding my books between my thighs as I wrenched the bent door open and chucked my not needed bag inside. My body was thwarted around as people bashed into me as if I were merely an old trash can that was in the way. It had gotten to the stage where I simply didn't care, I knew the interest surrounding me and my story had faded long ago and I was nothing to anyone anymore, even the police stopped caring after a while, I was no longer forced for probing interviews or line ups to try identify the man who tore our family apart. I had been no use even the day after it had happened but they had tried for five years, shoving me from physiatrist to doctors to family friends who they thought I would trust more, then back to the trained police counsellors until they figured it useless and basically closed the case.

I reached down, taking my books from my awkward hold on them and turned but as I did the almighty blow I had been waiting for hit me and my books were sent hurtling to the floor with a bang. It took me a second to refocus on my surroundings and without looking up I bent down to collect my things, I wouldn't receive an apology so I didn't bother wasting my time looking for one.

"Watch where you're going Michaels'" A gruff male voice called out as a sneaker clad foot kicked out against my Math book, I didn't need to know who it was, Cory Blackmore, a jock of course. Completely unable to be nice to anyone other than his crowd of arrogant friends of slutty groupies, I cared little for what he said and simply ignored his comments on a daily basis.

"Or you could watch where you go Blackmore" A new voice arrived and this time my head snapped up, the smooth tone of the voice catching my attention instantly. Jared Cameron. I had been infatuated with him since he gave me his milk carton in 2nd Grade. One of the bitchy girls who had been a complete cow even back then had knocked mine to the floor and made me cry, he had replaced it with his instantly and from that day on I was completely smitten by him. Not that he had paid attention to me since then; in fact he was one of the kids who used to join in with the unnecessarily cruel questioning of the past. But we were only 8 at the time and so I couldn't blame him for his curiosity.

I glanced up as he walked closer, he wasn't looking at me but at Cory and as he passed he shoved hard into the boys shoulder, they were known to hate one another and so any chance he got Jared would say or do something to Cory but I still felt warm at the fact he had stuck up for me. He stayed staring at Cory as he bent down, his hands reaching for my remaining scattered books as he pushed them towards me. I could hear Cory making yet another comment but I didn't register what he said, my attention was focused on not blushing but I could hear my heart thumping in my own ears. I reached for my history book just as Jared did and his big calloused hand scraped accidently across my fingertips, the sizzling warmth that erupted could only be compared to that of a roaring fire, my skin was burning but not in a bad way. As quickly as he had touched my hands he had pulled back, a sharp intake of breath leaving his mouth and I lifted my eyes from the floor to his face, he was staring at me. A look of sheer surprise lay there and his eyes snapped still on mine, the look quickly replaced with that of dumb struck blankness and his mouth fell into a lazy 'o' while his eyes grew wider with each second that he stared at me.

My body did its usual reaction, my breath was sucked right from me and I stumbled backwards from my crouched position but quickly caught myself and stood up, the hallway had cleared in the time we had spent staring at one another and the blush I had done so well to hold back was creeping slowly and tauntingly up my neck as Jared stayed crouched on the floor. His head shook and he too stumbled backwards before standing up. His own cheeks a rosy pink as if he was too warm. There was movement from where he was stood but it took me a minute to notice what it was, he was holding my books out to me but as if I were completely retarded I just stood there gawking at him. I hurried to take them, my blush growing fiercer and his grip on the books lingered for an awkward second to long as if unwilling to let them go.

"Uhh thanks" I whispered as I took the books from him and tucked them safely to my chest. His eyes travelled across my face and slipped slowly down my body making me feel like I was stood here naked. I half expected a look of disgust to cross him as he realised what and who he was staring at but he blushed deeper red and bit his lip ever so softly, his plump bottom lip turning white against the clamp of his teeth. It was as if he was holding back something that he wanted to say but couldn't.

I tore my look away to see that the hall was in fact empty and I was super late for class, relunctantly I shook myself off from the tingling feeling he was giving me and turned to make my way to class but as I did his hand fell in front of me and he mirrored my move blocking me from going to where I wanted to go.

"It's Jared" He spoke quickly as if nervous for me to leave without knowing and his hand came out to shake mine. Was he stupid? I had gone to day care with him when we were babies, I had gone to toddlers soccer club with him, our moms had been in the little gossip group of La Push together. How did he think I didn't know his name? I had spent the last 12 years of my life doodling it in my drawing books. Then the horrible feeling hit me, maybe he was saying his name because he didn't know mine. Crap. I knew I was a nobody but knowing the guy you had spent so long practically in love with didn't know who you were was a horrible feeling to have.

Sucking up the sinking feeling in my stomach I nodded politely, not offering him my hand I just simply smiled. "Kim" It hurt, having to reiterate my name to him. He cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes in question.

"I know your name" He barely whispered, saying it like he was offended I would think otherwise. He was weird. I had never held a conversation with him before but this was strange. I heard a door open and close and the clicking of quick paced heels down the sticky hallway floor and before either of us could say anything else the shriek call of our names came from the school secretary. The old bat was hurrying her overweight body toward us wagging her finger with a smug grin on her face but before she got to us I had turned and walked, she was so large she would never catch me anyway, Jared however stayed where he was, I looked to check if he was following but he was just stood there, staring after me while she chewed him out while wagging her chubby finger in his face. He was staring at me like I had just handed him a pot of gold. I couldn't help the spring of butterflies in my stomach. Jared Cameron was noticing me; he was actually looking at me not through me.

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	2. Chapter 2

**~Don't let me fall~ **

**Chapter two**

**Jared's point of view**

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I watched her walk away, her beautiful eyes shooting through me as she turned to give me one last glance, that last quick glance offering me a lifeline as it restarted my heart that had been shocked into a stillness by the imprint. I didn't even notice Mrs Miller shouting in my ear, I just watched after my angel as she slipped into her classroom.

I had imprinted. Holy crap. I had never given it much thought, figured either it would happen or it wouldn't but right now I was so glad it had. She was perfect. She was more than perfect she was...well...perfect. It was the only way I could describe her. She had the most amazing big brown eyes, her cheeks were rosy but naturally so, not like the other girls here that caked on make up to try make themselves good looking. She didn't need that stuff, her hair was in soft waves down her back, the silky ebony black shone against the hallway lights as she walked from me and I found myself soaking in every inch of her appearance. She was too thin, that was all I could find to fault, not because it made her look bad, it wasn't a sickly thin but I just had an overwhelming urge to take her to dinner every night, spoil her rotten and make sure she was healthy and looked after. Although I am sure she was healthy and looked after, she had to be.

"Jared Cameron are you even listening to me you insolent little boy?" The shrieking call of the school secretary screamed in my ear and I was brought from the cloud I was bouncing on named Kim. Her name was beautiful, just like her. It suited her. I turned to the little plump lady wagging her finger at me, raising my eye brows in surprise as I was hit with the overpowering scent of coffee and cheap perfume. I had to hold in my grimace thanks to my wolf super senses, it was vile. "Well?" She snapped again and my mind came crashing back to reality. My hands began shaking not from anger but from the startling reality that I had in fact just imprinted and my whole body was fighting violently against the urge inside me to run after the girl. I needed Sam.

Without another look her way I turned and marched toward the front door to the school, the loud variety of insulting shrieks following me the whole way out but it was nothing I hadn't heard before from teachers here that watched me just walk out whenever I felt like it. Obnoxious was their favourite insult, but I said nothing back like always. They could think I was just an obnoxious little kid who went out and did drugs rather than stay in school but I knew the truth, the truth was that I was out most nights protecting their asses. One day I would be thanked or at least recognised for the fact my obnoxious ass went on the line for theirs every day even at the young age of 17.

I ran through the parking lot, heading directly for the trees where I knew I would be met with one of my brothers, although which one it would be was beyond me. I had no idea who was on patrol today. I stripped off my clothes as I hit the safety of the bushes and trees and tied my shorts to my leg, we wolves had found by now that keeping string in our pockets at all times came in handy unless we wanted to walk into Emily's house naked as the day we were born. Although, it wasn't like she hadn't seen it already, the poor girl had seen every single one of us completely bare assed she stopped yelling after a while. But then again, she probably didn't mind seeing ours especially if it gave her a break from Sam's saggy backside.

"Oi" The hard shout of my alpha rang through my head as I phased and my previous thoughts were revealed to him. I heard stifled laughter somewhere else but couldn't pin point that it was. "I don't have a saggy backside you little cretin" He barked at me again as I made my way towards Emily's house.

"You could do with doing a few squats bro" Paul piped up now and I realised the stifled laughter was him. He was a few years older than me, he had left school shortly before phasing but our families had been close since we were babies and so we had grown up practically best friends.

"Har har har, you two are just hilarious. Shut it." Sam snapped again and I could feel his irritability growing, he just couldn't take the banter. The silent threat that followed backed up my comment, his thoughts somewhat along the line of unless we shut up we would be forced to do patrols with Jacob Black, the biggest procrastinator we had ever had the pleasure of meeting. He was a good friend of mine but damn the boy was boring as hell. Bella this, Bella that..it got a little thin after a while.

"Why aren't you in school oh young one?" Paul joked as he barked more annoying remarks toward Sam who had taken too loudly singing nursery rhymes in his head to block us out. Major downside of being a wolf was the mind reading thing, you couldn't hide anything, you couldn't have any peace whilst phased, you just basically unwillingly signed away your life secrets and before I could stop myself a vision of Kim ran across my mind immediately sparking interest from both of my wolf brothers. I had wanted to tell them while human.

"Oh damn, another one bites the dust. Your life is over dude...goodbye afternoons with your boys hello shopping sprees, manicure appointments and hearing a hell of a lot of 'Baby can I borrow your credit card, mine broke'" He offered in his very best impression of Rachel Black, Jacob's older sister and Paul's imprint. They had been together a few months, not as long as Sam and Emily, they had been going for like a year now.

I could hear the jokiness in Paul's voice as he spoke but I immediately growled without meaning too, suddenly angry at the thought of anyone thinking Kim could be that sort of girl. Besides if she was I would happily give her my card, take her shopping and even sit through hair and nail appointments with her just to see that smile.

"You really did imprint. You'll regret you ever said that when your following her around various clothing stores only for her to go home with zero new items...four hours we were in Port Angeles and nothing, not a single thing except some stupid iced coffee" Sam offered, I had to laugh at this one, Sam could not let it go and it had happened like four months ago.

"So who is the lucky lady?" Paul asked this time, obviously not recognising the image in my head, not that he should. We were a few years below him at school and Sam had probably never seen her before in his life. I didn't want to talk about it as a wolf though; I wanted to actually see them.

"Meet back at mine, Emily was just making cookies when I left" Sam offered and I began running instantly as Paul shouted various versions of 'hell yeah' at the idea of Emily's baked goods. She was a damn fine cook. But I could imagine Kim to be better; she looked like a homely type.

"That's what I thought about Rach and she actually managed to give me food poisoning" Paul joked again as he ran harder toward the house. Rachel was an exceptionally bad cook. Us wolves shouldn't technically be able to get sick because of our high metabolisms and healing fast, I had once seen Embry and Quil eat gone off eggs and drink lumpy milk and not get ill but Rachel cooked one meal for Paul and bam. First wolf to be bed ridden, it lasted two days before he could even stand up straight.

Both of my brothers phased out, leaving me in the rare tranquillity of my wolf. Kim's face splashed through my mind, her laugh that I had only heard from afar during classes was now ringing through my ears although I had never paid much attention before. She was beautiful. I wasn't like the others, I knew they were only joking about the life being over stuff, they happily gave up their free time to be with Rachel and Emily. I knew Paul would get a manicure himself if it made Rachel smile, but before I had thought they were soppy gits. But right now I understood, I would leap off a plane to make her smile, get stung by a thousand wasps if it meant she was unhurt and her skin untouched. I would literally do anything, my whole life now revolved around her and it felt amazing.

I bounded into the small yard, phasing as I leapt toward a nearby broken down truck and pulled my shorts on. I could already hear the other two inside, probably filling Emily in on the details of what they had found out and as I made my way closer I could smell the fresh cookies Sam had promised. The day was getting better each second. All I wanted to do was tell my brothers what had happened and get back to her, to watch her, be near her and make sure no assholes like Corey Blackmore touched her again. My inner wolf growled. Angry that another man had hurt her but proud that I had stepped up like I had, if I hadn't then I wouldn't have looked into those swirling brown eyes. I wasn't even sure what made me stand up to him, I hadn't a clue who it was he had hit, I just felt a surge to do something and so I had, subsequently giving me the best reward I could ask for.

I leapt in through the open front door, the two guys and Emily all turned to look at me, anticipation evident on each face as they peered at me from the kitchen table. Emily offered me a smile before handing me the plate of cookies but I declined, even with them smelling so good I couldn't swallow right now. I was too buzzed and eager to tell all. To speak her name from my lips, to tell the world she was mine.

"So?" Sam started as Emily manoeuvred herself to sit in his lap. "Who is she?"

"She's pretty I'll give you that. I had bets with Embry you'd get lumped with a right spoon" Paul chuckled to himself and I didn't find it hard to believe. We had all made bets on imprints from the minute new wolves phased. I had bet that Paul would get stuck with a high maintenance chick, and he had hit that right on the head with Rachel. His impression of her was spot on. Don't get me wrong, she was a nice girl but damn she could shop, especially if it had daddy or Paul's name on the card.

"Hello not getting any younger here?" Emily piped up, jumping excitedly in Sam's lap, she had gotten like this over Rachel she liked having new imprints around it made her not be the only girl.

I took a large intake of breath, building myself up to speak her delicate name and my hands shook with nerves as I realised the reality of it all. She was mine, but she wasn't mine, not yet. I had to win her, I had to make her love me like I already loved her. "Kim. Kim Michaels" I near enough whispered as I let the name slip from my lips. I hadn't known I knew her second name but it came out all the same. Paul cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out if he knew her while Emily and Sam shot one another looks, I couldn't quite decipher what the looks were but it didn't look nice.

"What?" I shot out quickly as Emily shifted uncomfortably in Sam's lap and stood up to flutter to the kitchen. They both gave each other another look before turning to me.

"I know the Michaels family" Sam offered first, his eyes narrowing in question of himself. "Well, I don't know them know them but I have heard of them. I hear of them here and there" He shrugged trying to play it cool but Emily was still fluttering nervously around.

"What Emily?" I asked suddenly overcome with nerves that she was about to say Kim was already married or something crazy like that. I was sure it wasn't that but Emily was making me nervous.

She fumbled with her hands, twiddling her fingers around one another while biting her lip so hard I think she bit right through her skin. "Well...it's just that her family..they went through stuff. Rachel teaches the younger one. They well. They have problems" She near enough whispered as if speaking the words loud was a taboo. My anger immediately peaked and I had to fight against the urge to growl at the small woman in front of me.

"She does not have problems. She's perfect." I spoke through clenched teeth. There was nothing wrong with her. Kim was perfect in every way and Rachel was speaking out of her ass if she said otherwise.

Emily rushed forward and placed herself back next to Sam. Clamping her hand on his shoulder for support and he turned to offer it. "She doesn't mean it like that Jared. It's just that her family have been through things" He stopped, narrowing his eyes at me like I was crazy for not understanding. I had no idea what they meant; I knew nothing about her family. At least I don't think I did. "Sophie Michaels?" Sam spoke again; this time shaking his head at me like I was a complete idiot and before I could mull over the name he offered Paul slammed his hand down on the table making Emily jump a mile.

"Sophie Michaels. I knew I knew that name. Kim was her sister. I remember now, she was in my class we used to sit together in Math" Paul near enough yelled as he jumped around near the table, but soon enough his jumping stilled and his eyes grew wide almost in realisation. "Damn that's tough, poor girl" He mumbled and Sam nodded in agreement while Emily stayed biting her lip. I had no idea what was there problem. Sophie Michaels? Who was Sophie Michaels?

Emily stood suddenly, walking to the kitchen counter before picking up her phone. She tapped at the screen a few times before walking back to me. Her eyes had a sad greyness to them and she slowly handed the phone to me. My eyes scanned the lit up screen noticing Kim's family name a few times before reading the information that made my heart sink as I remembered what the others already had. Now I understood, now I remembered that long cold unusually misty winter that tainted La Push's straight friendly image, the night that ended the coldest of all winters we had ever had. Every parent on the res held their child that bit tighter after that night. Damn.

"What do I do?" I whispered as Emily's hand came down on my arm calming me before I worked myself up any further. I looked to my brothers for support; both of them just stared at me.

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**Hello! Thank you for the reviews and everything, means a lot :D**

**Those who asked if you would find out what happened..of course you will! Right after I am done torturing you over it haha...no I'm joking, it won't take long to get to it I just want to work the story a bit more before I reveal it properly but feel free to give me your ideas on what you think happened :D**

**I am a bit swamped with work and studying at the minute so updates will be a little all over the place but I promise not to go longer than 4 days without a new update and when I can I will post double updates to make up for the waiting. Thank you and keep reading. :D**

**x**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Twilight**

**~Don't let me fall~ **

**Chapter three**

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"Bailey don't run too far" I shouted over the soft whispering of the wind as my hair was blown into my face. Bailey was running through the sand a little in front of me, jumping as the waves came crashing near her little feet. She was so small for her age, not unhealthy small, she was just short and little. Like me I suppose. I was a senior and I was barely 5'4, I was the smallest in my class by far. I wondered behind my sister as she leaped around, looking carefree and happy for once. It was a nice change from the screaming I had left her in this morning as I handed the dragging over to Rachel Black. I always felt bad about making her go to school so I would bring her here most days to give her a break from the crap that surrounded her young life.

I flicked through my little homework journal as I walked, checking over how much I had to get done tonight. It was a miracle I was passing school. I had the organisational skills of a banana and left most of my work to last minute. But I was a straight B student, A at a push. But I was so swamped with other issues my school work came last. Today had been worse though, my mind was wrapped in a haze of Jared filled thoughts and I hadn't even been able to concentrate long enough to write down my homework assignments. My obsession with that boy had reached a whole new level of low, it was affecting my school work. Normally it didn't bother me, normally he sat in front of me in Science and I just watched the back of his head as he laughed and joked with Embry Call but today he hadn't turned up to Science, nor was he there at lunch and I couldn't see him after school in the parking lot either. But his absence had only stirred worse lack of concentration, my mind filled with images of the look he had given me this morning, the way his eyes swirled with emotion as our hands brushed across one another, the fire that he stirred within me.

Eurgh. I was obsessed. I was an idiot. Jared hadn't noticed me like that; I probably still had my breakfast around my mouth or something. I mean I hadn't had breakfast but I probably had something on my face and he had tried holding in a laugh, either that or he had wind.

"KIM" A high squeal shouted at me through the whistle of the wind and I was brought back from my thoughts of Jared Cameron. My eyes travelled over the beach until I found the source of the shout, Bailey was shoulder deep in the water and flat on her ass. She was soaked, and her wetness was only added to as a wave crashed over her head. Great. Just what I needed.

"Bailey get up" I ran at her as she scrambled to her feet, she was shivering already. "What were you doing?" I nearly yelled at her as I grabbed her away from the water and up the beach, sand flicked up over her legs and stuck to her thickly.

"I fell over" She offered but the tone in her voice told me she was lying, she had so sat down in it on purpose. I should have been mad at her because she would now wreck my car seats but I couldn't, I could never be angry at her. It was rare she ever did anything so if I got mad at her for doing the first proper kid thing she would never do anything again.

"Come on you muppet" I nudged her and pushed her up the beach toward the car park but as I turned my eyes fell on a grinning boy walking toward us. Bailey stopped and looked back at me, her brows creased in a frown and I felt my own face pale dramatically as my body fell into nervous shakes. Jared Cameron was here and walking toward us.

I was frozen to the spot, unable to move one inch as she got closer and closer and Bailey was stood just as still in a confused state just staring at me waiting for some sort of acknowledgment that the overly big guy making his way to us was ok. She was nervous around men, always had been. I wasn't comfortable around them but I figured that was due to what had happened, whereas Bailey was just generally uncomfortable around anybody.

Jared came to a halt as he passed my little sister and turned to look at her, offering her a kind smile before turning to me where his smile widened and his eyes sparkled to match the happy look he had on his face. "Hi Kim" He offered brightly before letting his head fall to the side. I said nothing, mainly because I was unable to; my breath was too harshly caught in my throat. His smile dropped a little now, his eyes dimmed and for a second I thought he looked disappointed. "It's Jared, from school. We're in Science together" He went on; his voice was significantly less cheerful than it had been at first.

He thought I didn't know who he was. And he seemed genuinely upset because of it. How did he not know I had spent my entire life crushing on him? I felt the blush come back to my cheeks in a fiery rush and I snapped back to my normal breathing pattern as he looked at me waiting for a reply. I couldn't speak still, I was in shock that he was actually seeing me and so all I did was nod. Why was he talking to me? I was plain old Kim; I had nothing that interested him. Unless he had been put up to it, I scanned behind him searching for one of his crowd. The steroid taking gang that basically acted like they owned La Push, most of them came across as arrogant assholes due to the fact they walked with such confidence and authority, but Jared never seemed like that to me. He had confidence to him but not arrogance. I saw no one that I recognised as his friends, he was here alone so it couldn't be a joke.

Jared was staring at me, nibbling on his bottom lip nervously as his eyes darted across my face and I noticed my little sister standing hand on hip frowning at me from beside him. I was staring at him. Oh crap. I blushed further as my hands began shaking even worse from nerves. He made me turn into a wreck. I couldn't think of anything to say.

"Umm I'm just heading to the diner for a drink if you want to come" Jared spoke again, his voice glimmering in hope as his eyes sparkled. I figured I was wrong about the hope though, there was no way he was hoping I would go anywhere with him. Then I realised he had in fact just asked me out, well near enough asked me out. My heart hammered at a hundred miles per hour as I mulled over his words, every inch of me wanted to say yes but I zoned in on Bailey who was drenched in sea water and I knew I couldn't go, I wouldn't be able to even if she was here, I had too many responsibilities back home I was already pushing it by being out as long as we had been.

"I umm I have to go" I whispered so quietly I thought he wouldn't have heard me but his shoulders deflated and he fully lost his bright glow, he looked like I had just taken his favourite toy away. I felt bad, I wanted to take my words back and go with him but I knew I couldn't. I wouldn't let myself be pulled into whatever trap it was he was luring me to. It was obviously a joke set up by his friends who knew I was crushing on him and so I stumbled toward my sister and took her by her hand trying not to look back at the boy who stole so many of my dreams.

As we turned to walk away from him I heard the patter of feet against sand and he jogged past me before stopping in front of me causing us to stop. My heart hammered again as my stomach dropped. "I'll see you in school then?" He asked that strange glimmer back in his eyes and his previous disappointment gone. I couldn't understand what he was doing here and why he was acting this way so I just nodded, I wasn't going anywhere so he would see me at some point.

He stood aside letting me pass, a smile playing his lips and as Bailey and I walked past I felt his eyes on me. I tried ignoring it, just walking straight to the path that led to the car park and Bailey started nudging me, a sly smile on her little face. She was too smart for her own good sometimes. I pulled on her hand harder as we pounded on the concrete and made my way to the old car that sat waiting. We both climbed in and as I did so I turned my head to the beach to see that Jared was still stood in the exact spot I left him in and he was just staring after us, his eyes on the car even as I plonked it in reverse and out of the small parking lot. He watched us until the car was around the corner and even then something told me he was still stood there.

My skin was on fire, my stomach in a fluttering turn of butterflies as it always was around him, but this time it seemed worse. My whole body was in a numb buzzing like I had just done something full of adrenaline. He stirred things in me that shouldn't be real. The blush in my cheeks still raged on and I had to crack open my window to get some air to my hot body, every inch of me hot from the stare he had landed on me. My mind was fuzzy with different thoughts on why he had been there, or why he was talking to me all of a sudden. I was convinced it was a prank set up by one of his immature friends; it was totally the style of Embry or Quil. I didn't know them that well but well enough to know they were pranksters.

"Damn girl you got it bad" Bailey's squeaky voice pitched up in a tone filled with so much attitude she would have passed for a 16 year old girl rather than a 10 year old. I glanced across at her as she smirked up at me, her eyes full of a knowing spark and I knew I was rumbled.

"Oh shut up shrimp" I threw a light playful punch into her wet shoulder and she shrugged before smiling determinedly and setting her eyes back on the road ahead.

We rode the rest of the way to our tiny house with smiles on both of our faces, Baileys from the fact she now knew something she could use against me and mine because of the fact Jared Cameron the boy who had barely looked at me since we were in 2nd grade was now for some reason actually talking to me, even if it were from a joke it felt good to know he actually knew who I was.

We clambered out of the car and I waved nicely to our little old neighbour who was sat on her porch like she were most days, her cat in her lap and her beady eyes followed us as we made our way down our path to the broken front door. "You need to cut your grass Kimberly" Her croaky voice called out to me and I waved my hand in acknowledgement of her latest issue with the house that was failing down beside hers.

She made a new comment each day, most of them I agreed with but I could do nothing about. I couldn't build a new front door, nor could I afford one. I couldn't paint the rotting garage by myself, I couldn't fix the broken guttering that was spilling into her yard and I couldn't lay a new front path so the current issues would just need to stay like they were and she could keep her nose out of it.

I turned my key in the door but realised it was unlocked and so I just pushed it open and let Bailey walk in in front of me. The overwhelming stench of stale beer and rum hit me as I passed the door to my dad's study, it was slightly open and Bailey turned to give me a roll of her brown eyes before sulking up the stairs stripping her clothes as she went. She was as used to this as I was, we tried to not let it hurt us but it did. It hurt so damn hard.

I waited until she was out of sight and I heard the running of water from the bathroom before entering the room, I expected to see my dad but he wasn't in there, he had left the house with the door unlocked like he did most days, it was like he no longer cared for safety or our belongings or even us. I walked to the table that acted like a desk, his little single bed lay shoved in the corner of the room where it had been since he moved here 7 years ago. I had lived here 8 years now, having moved here a year after the incident with Sophie, my mom couldn't take living in our old house house but dad only moved in after my mom died, someone had to look after us although what he did couldn't really be classed as that.

His floor by his bed was littered with scrunched up beer cans, an empty bottle of rum lay on his desk and I kicked a can away with my foot sending it hurtling into the wall. My heart sunk with the horrible feeling it always had when I was here, I could hear Bailey squealing in the shower undoubtly from the ice cold water hitting her and I touched the radiator for confirmation that the heating was in fact still not working. I had told dad this morning to have a look at it but he obviously hadn't. I walked closer to the desk, a pile of papers lay scattered on top of the old wood and I lifted the top sheet up, underneath lay an old dirty paper, ripped and crumpled as if it had been read a thousand times.

My stomach churned and I felt sick as I read over the front page, the headline hitting me like a ton of bricks. No matter how many times I saw this it still hurt as fresh as it had done the first time I found it. The first news article reporting what had happened to Sophie, how she vanished without a trace. Underneath it laid another one, reporting that it had been a dead end case and the police had no idea what happened to my sister, then underneath that lay another paper, newer than the ones reporting my sister. This front page held a picture of my mom, the headline reminding me that she had gone; she left us with nothing more than what was in her bank account and cold memories. He still hurt so freshly over everything that happened all those years ago. I hurt to but I blocked that part of my emotions off a long time ago, so harshly that I no longer was haunted by the tears that haunted me back then, I had never spoke of it out loud and in a way it was harder that way yet easier. Harder because my feelings were locked inside but easier because I wasn't falling to pieces like my father had been. I had no idea what to do anymore, no amount of me pleading with him worked and he obviously didn't care so I threw the papers back to where they were and walked from the room. Leaving it in the tip he had left it.

I used to think of my dad as the strongest man alive but now I felt he was the weakest. He didn't care about Bailey or I, we had been left totally alone. But then again I understood why he hated me, everything was my fault, all of it had been because of me. I guess that's why I blocked it off, I didn't want to feel that pain any more but I still felt it, I just refused to relive it. My incapability of reliving it led to the downfall of my father and eventually my mother, I caused all of this, I took my little sisters family away before she even had it, I guess that's why I took on everything like I did. I felt I needed to give her what I had taken so I tried to do everything I could but it still wasn't enough.

"Kim come do my hair" Bailey called down the stairs as I shut the door to the stinking room, I called back quietly before starting up the stairs as I did the door behind me opened and I peered back to see my dad stumble through the front door. His hair stuck in all directions, his eyes bloodshot and wide and in his arms he clutched a new bottle of rum, he looked up, his eyes deadly as he took me in and he just grunted and nodded his head before sulking to the room I had just left. His once big masculine body was now thin and old, his skin pale and tired telling the tales of the horrors he had lived through. As the door shut and I started back up the stairs the soft cries I heard most nights erupted, he was crying again. My own heart wrenched at the sound and my throat closed in a lump but I bit it back, pushing myself toward my sister who was blissfully unaware of what was going on downstairs.

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**I know it's still confusing because I haven't explained what happened properly but I have a reason for that. Hope this helped clear it up a little about what happened with her sister and mom...kind of? Hehehe anyway thanks for reading and keep it up :D x**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Twilight**

**Don't let me fall**

**Enjoy :D**

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I glanced beside me nervously, my heart hammering against my chest as my eyes met the ones I knew so well. Jared was staring at me from his seat next to me in Chemistry. I had come in to find he was now sat there and little Jimmy Naho sat in the seat Jared normally sits in and looking completely terrified. This had happened three days ago and he still hadn't returned to his normal seating despite me barely talking to him. He just spent the lessons sat watching me or trying to stir some sort of conversation between us. Then there was lunch time where I would find him watching me like a hawk, or the school parking lot where he seemed to now be the last one to leave both in the morning and afternoon, he just stood by his truck and only hopped in or walked into school as I did. I had once dreamt of this sort of attention from him but now I had it I found it completely confusing not to mention somewhat irritating.

It became weirder when I went to English where I sit beside Quil Ateara and Embry Call and both of them turned to greet me actually using my name and both then continued to give me wide smiles and attempted to slip me into their conversations where they could, as if my opinion on what colour shirt Embry should buy for someone called Emily's birthday actually mattered. To summarise my week in school so far was that I had suddenly become of interest to the infamous gang that Jared was friends with.

The most irritating area of the new sport of stalking Kim seemed to be my after school trips to the beach with Bailey. Jared had been there each day either by himself or with one of the guys for school, last night he had been there with a much older guy that I sort of recognised but couldn't put a name to. He never spoke to me; he just sort of smiled and watched as I walked around with Bailey letting her blow of childish steam. I couldn't quite figure out what the sudden interest was about and the novelty was beginning to wear off and starting to be nothing more than a bad case of joke gone too far. If it was a joke or some sly way of getting something from me then he had another thing coming, I may be head over heels for the boy but I won't play in to one of his gangs little pranks.

I wiped my damp hands against my black skinny jeans as I washed them and ruffled with my hair, it felt down to the middle of my back, naturally straight but as the day went on it became slightly wavy from the way it fell over my shoulders. The dull lighting of the girls toilets made me look pale, almost sick in the water splashed mirror and so I refused to take another look knowing full well that if I did my confidence for the day would be knocked straight back down.

Picking up my bag from the floor I shuffled to the door, pulling it open and the murmur of the hallway met my ears. I hated that sound, it made nervous butterflies swirl in my stomach like I was waiting for something to be done or said to me, it rarely did unless it was Corey Blackmore saying it but I still felt like this. I shuffled out of the doorway I turned to the left last minute as I remembered my books were still in my locker but before I could move again I had gone slamming into what can only be described as a brick wall. The bag I held in my hand dropped to the floor and a hand from the brick wall came out to steady me, the touch alarmingly hot and I had to snap my arm back from its embrace.

"Sorry" A startled gruff voice called out, the loudness making me jump back again in surprise, it was strangely close. I glanced up at the person who had caused me to fall and a flurry of different emotions stirred in me. Jared was looking at me, his eyes wide in worry and both his arms out stretched as if unsure whether to hold me or let me keep moving back away from him. "I didn't mean to knock you down" He offered again as he swooped down to pick my bag up.

"Right you just stand outside the girls' bathroom for fun" I snapped then stopped myself, I had no idea where that came from. I never snap at people, and most definitely not at Jared Cameron. But no matter how hard the butterflies in my stomach tried swirling in gushes at the fact he was so close to me and talking to me, my annoyance at his continuous stalking outweighed it and I found myself more irritated than flattered.

"I uh I" He fumbled with his words as he handed my bag back to me and I let myself wait for some sort of explanation. I had seen him following me before I slipped into the toilets but I never imagined he would actually wait outside for me.

"Busted dude" A low chuckling voice offered and I looked over Jared's shoulder to see Embry Call and Jacob Black sniggering at Jared. They had that right. He was busted, he was a total stalker.

"I just umm" Jared tried again his face darkening with each second that passed and I let my head fall to the side from my lack of patience. I was a calm person but I really was not patient, I couldn't even wait in a line at the store without losing my mind in boredom and annoyance. "I just wanted to ask you umm" He stopped again, shifting from one foot to the other he glanced back as if wanting help from his two friends who were now beside themselves with laughter.

The bell rung out as Jared opened his mouth again and the crowds of people around us began dispersing to their classrooms, all except Embry and Jacob who stood where they were.

"Kim" Jared said finally as the final bell rang but by this point I was late for class and so I slung my bag over my shoulder and hurried around him toward my class, I wasn't being rude, I was just really late.

As I walked down the hallway I could hear the chuckling from Embry and Jacob grow.

"You're a total wimp Jared"

"What even was that? Paul is gonna love this"

The numerous insults floated down the hall and as I turned the corner a barking curse word shot out from what I instantly knew was Jared. This had to be a joke, there was no other explanation but for Jared and his friends to be doing some sort of smart ass trick on me.

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I never thought I would feel this way about actually getting attention from the guy I had craved since I was 5 but I let out a groan as I rounded on my Biology class and saw Jared sat in the seat next to mine. It was the last class of the day and since the toilet incident yesterday I had managed to avoid him but now I had no option but to deal with it.

I slipped into my seat, edging away from the huge arm Jared had slouched across the desk so it was practically leaning over me. I was so confused by him. I had no idea why he was so into annoying me lately.

"Hi Kim" His low manly voice was cheerier than yesterday and I glanced over at him to see him smiling, his eyes bore down onto mine and my breath caught in my throat from the way his eyes seemed to flame at me. He was undeniably the most beautiful man in the world. Maybe I could deal with the annoying stalking, just as long as he continued to look at me like this.

"Hey" I offered back, I had been rude yesterday and I had felt like crap all night for it. I wasn't a rude person he had just caught me off guard but I hated being rude, it made me feel bad. I tried to smile but by this point my whole body was in swirls of nervous shakes just from the close proximity we had.

"I umm just wanted to say sorry for yesterday, I acted like a bit of an ass" His voice lowered to a whisper as our teacher began going over what we were doing in class and I tried to focus on the lesson knowing that I was behind in Bio but his voice was luring my concentration. I glanced back at him, his face no longer smiling but sheepishly smirking, like he was embarrassed.

My stomach dropped in pity for him, he probably felt like a dick especially with his friends doing what they had done. "Its fine plus I was rude but you caught me off guard so" I whispered back and Jared let out a chuckle as if I was the funniest person alive. The chattering of our teacher stopped and we both looked forward to see her giving us dirty looks and Jared lifted his hand in apology while she turned back to the board.

"I was trying not to be creepy" He whispered again, his arm that was draped over the desk moved closer to me and so I moved further away.

"You failed" My stomach dropped as I realised I had said that out loud, my cheeks flushed with colour. I just basically called him a creep. Crap. Now he would go back to not knowing who I was. As I turned to apologise I saw him chuckling again, his laughter not as quiet as his speaking, he was full on laughing.

"Something you'd like to share?" The teacher barked at us and Jared sobered before shaking his head. I buried mine down into my arms as I continued to flush from embarrassment, he made me so unusually outspoken. I felt rude again.

I tried focusing back on our teacher as she explained that we were going outside to study, she always did this, she was an outdoors person and so whatever chance she got she would take us outside for a free study period. But even as I focused on her and packed my things back up I could feel Jared watching me. Total stalker mode was back and it was just as irritating as it had been yesterday.

The class began dispersing and I swiftly followed, near enough running down the hallway and outside and as I glanced back I could see Jared fighting through the crowd of classmates to try follow me. I wanted to stop and let him catch up but I didn't.

"Hey Michaels wait up" A male voice rang out but I knew it wasn't Jared. I stopped as I got to the last step outside and turned, Corey Blackmore was walking down the steps toward me, a smirk on his face as two of his jock friends followed him. I turned back around not wanting any of his crap but a hand came out to take my arm and I was pulled back to him. "I said wait up" He wasn't necessarily creepy or nasty; he was just sly and thought he was clever and funny. "My dad saw yours last night..yeah he was in a bar in Forks. He was pretty drunk apparently. Then again I suppose he needs some way to get over what he did...sick really" He smiled as he said it; the comment stirred nothing in me from the simple fact that he used the same comment every time. It used to upset me, it used to make the guilt wrack back up within me but this time I just swallowed it back down and took the pleased smirk from the boy in front of me.

"Get your hands off her" A growl erupted to my right and I jumped at the loudness of it. Jared had his own hands gripped on Corey's arm; his constant ripping of the hand around my arm caused more pain than the hold Corey had on me.

"Got a little crush have we Cameron's?" Corey sung as his hand was removed from me and my body stopped in its attempt to back away. I hadn't even thought of that, he had been paying attention to me a lot but surely it wasn't a crush. I looked at Jared, his jaw clenched tighter and he pushed Corey back harshly letting him fall into the railings on the step.

"Jared Cameron don't you dare" The shrill cry of Miss Samuels rang out from the front doorway and I tore my stare from Jared to look at her as she marched toward the two boys. Taking my chance I left, leaving the crowd of people who ogle at Jared, Corey and the teacher who were now in a war of words with one another.

There was no way he had a crush on me. He just hates Corey, he takes whatever chance he can to fight him I've seen it thousands of times. I'm just Kim, Kim from the weird family. No one could have a crush on me.

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A shadow passed over me as I sat against one of the many trees that towered over our school, they lay at the entrance to the vast La Push forestry, we weren't allowed in the trees but I often sat here and read during lunch or free periods. I glanced up to see who it was blocking my sunlight and my heart skidded as I zoned in on Jared's sun lit body. He smiled before pointing to the spot beside me where my bag lay and instinctively I reached out to move my bag giving him space to sit which he swiftly did.

I flicked through the pages of my book trying to act like I was able to concentrate in the slightest but I could feel the warmth from his body beating on mine and the stare of his eyes beating on me. After a few silent minutes his large hand came out to flick the cover of my book over to see what it was before dropping it again.

"Hmm Shakespeare, fun" He sounded playful and he gave me a thumbs up in the most sarcastic way and I couldn't help but laugh at the stupid grin he had on his face that he was currently teaming with wiggling his eyebrows. "See I don't completely annoy you" He chuckled out and leant back against the large tree trunk behind us, my laughter stopped as I glanced up at him, even sat down he towered over me. I raised an eyebrow in question; I had never outwardly said he annoyed me.

"I never said that you did" My confidence vanished as I tried speaking and my voice cracked in whisper, I couldn't handle the closeness between us. I was surprised he heard me but he let out a long sigh and shrugged at me.

"I know but Embry kindly pointed out to me that I've been a bit of a stalker recently" He stopped, frowned at himself and let up a short snort before looking back at me. "I'm not stalking you Kim..I was just too nervous to talk to you" His voice like mine cracked and he shut his eyes and shook his head in annoyance. "I guess I still am" His head fell back against the tree and he let out a long breath.

My own stomach twisted at this. Why on earth would anyone be nervous to talk to me? I looked at him, his hands were clenched tightly around one another, his knuckles white from the hold while his cheeks were blushing a furious red colour and he was clamping down on his bottom lip. He looked like I felt, nervous, embarrassed and awkwardly uncomfortable in terms of knowing what to say or how to act.

"Why?" My voice was still a whisper, my body unable to recover from the fact that I had Jared Cameron the guy I had dreamt of marrying since I was like 6, sat right next to me. It was something my dreams were made of but I was unbelievably confused as to why he was nervous. I was just Kim.

"Why what?" He asked, his voice louder this time as he shifted through my pile of books on the floor beside me. He was staring at our Chem book like he had never seen it before. Come to think of it I had never seen him with a copy in class.

"Why would you be nervous to talk to me?" I reiterated and Jared let the book drop before moving on to the Romeo and Juliet book I had in my lap. His fingers brushed over my knee as he moved it and a shot of flaming tingles ran up my legs and through my spine causing a shudder to erupt, a nice shudder not a horrible one. Jared seemed to notice and dropped the book instantly, turning his head to look at me with a sort of pleased glimmer in his eyes.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He looked genuinely confused, like it was completely stupid that I was so surprised at his revelation.

A wave of confidence washed over me as I opened my mouth to speak. "I'm Kim Michaels and your Jared Cameron, I'm nothing to get nervous over, I'm just Kim just plain boring old Kim, nothing special here" I waved over myself, my voice actually sounding firm for once and Jared's frown grew deeper.

"I don't see anything plain and boring about you, quite the opposite actually" He was back to whispering, his confusion gone instead replaced with a dazed look like he was sat in front of Angelina Jolie or something. I peered behind me checking there wasn't one of the popular short skirted girls behind me but I saw no one. As I turned back to Jared my stomach dropped. I saw no one. As in the class and our teacher had gone. No one was here. I flicked my wrist up looking at my watch, crap. I was late. Bailey.

"Oh god I gotta go" I started piling my books back into my bag as Jared stared at me like I was crazy, I probably looked it but I was so late for Bailey she would be freaking out. How had I not heard the bell? Stupid question. I was sat with Jared, someone could scream in my ear and all I would hear or see was him.

I jumped up, flinging my bag over my shoulder as I turned back to the now empty car lot. Only my car and Jared's truck sat there, I was so screwed.

"Wait Kim" Jared called out but I kept hurrying toward the school.

"I'm sorry, I'm late for Bailey" I called back, then realised he probably had no idea who Bailey was but I didn't offer a further explanation I just changed into a sprint and ran across the parking lot to the doors leading to the younger grades classrooms.

Sure enough sat outside was Bailey, next to her was Rachel Black, both of them glanced up as I ran for them and I immediately waved my hands in apologies. "I am so sorry, I got caught up. I am so sorry"

Bailey gave me evils while Rachel looked straight past me to the area behind me, her face instantly lit up in a smile and she winked at whatever was behind me before waving her hand at me like it was no big deal. "Its fine Kim, honestly it gave us time to go over some of the stuff we did in class didn't it Bailey? Beside my lift is late" She grinned down at my sister who just stared blankly back. Rachel stood up walking with Bailey to where I was and I turned as they walked past me. We walked in silence to my car and I opened it letting Bailey who was still sour faced get in.

"Thanks for staying with her, I promise I won't be late again" I offered quietly to Rachel as I walked to my door but she just waved her hand at me again while clicking her way past my car to the entrance of the car lot.

"See you tomorrow Kim" She smiled nicely and an old truck pulled up next to her, I looked at the driver recognising him instantly as the boy who was at the beach with Jared the other day. I still couldn't figure out his name but Rachel hopped in and kissed him so it was obviously her boyfriend or husband or whatever. She waved again before the car pulled out and I could see the guy in the driver's seat craning his neck to look back at me. Weird. The men around here were strange.

I climbed in to my little car and glanced at my sister who was sat cross armed giving me glares. "You were with a boy weren't you?" She scolded and I was a little taken aback for a second before cocking my head to the side.

"Umm kind of"

"It was the boy from the beach wasn't it?" She more accused than asked and I found myself nodding sheepishly at her while she let out an irritated huff.

"Hmm I'm watching you Kimberly" She barked before turning her head to the window away from me. Her whole attitude right now was far too old for her age.

As I drove out of school I glanced back, taking note of the fact that Jared's car was still in its space but as my eyes travelled to the area we had been sat only minutes before it was empty. He was gone but he had left his car here. My stomach was left in a flutter of twists as I thought about him; I guess my childhood crush on Jared was well and truly flaring up again.

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**Review, follow etc :D x**


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors note: Hey hey hey :D so this one jumps over a few days as I want to get the story moving. Little information that I have forgotten to give you on this story- in my version of events for twilight the wolf phase/imprints go like this – Sam was first to phase, then Paul, shortly after they phased Sam and Emily happened, few months later Rachel came home and her and Paul got together etc etc..during that time Jared phased. Shortly after came Embry, then Jake and finally Quil. No one else has yet phased and the Quil/Claire imprint has not happened as of yet in this story. I am going to be doing chapters skipping over time periods so that I can get to what you all want quicker as I want to hurry up and write it properly so the big KIM secret will be revealed in a couple chapters :D Thank you and keep reviewing and following and reading and being amazing :D**

**Jared's point of view**

_**Don't let me fall**_

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"Come on where are you" Her soft mumbled met my ears as I walked through the crowded school parking lot toward where her small body was crunched over rifling through her bag. A smaller girl was stood next to her, arms cross, toe tapping and slapping her chops on gum as if she were a teenager when she could be no older than 8 or 9.

"Kimmy hurry up" The girl whined slightly and turned around, her eyes fell on me and widened for a second before shutting for a few more seconds then reopening, as if she couldn't quite believe that I was walking toward her. Now that I could see her face I saw she was a miniature Kim, her tanned skin lighter than most of the people on the res, I would say she wasn't full Quileute. She had long black hair, straight like Kim's but Kim's wasn't quite as dark as this girls was and her eyes were much bigger and rounder than Kim's. She was a sweet little thing though, at least she looked sweet.

"Bailey I swear to god" Kim warned, her head still poked in her bag scrambling around for something that I was sure I was currently clutching in my own hands. I took another glance behind me, Embry and Quil were both stood by my truck giving me grins as if expecting me to act like an asshole again like the other day. But I was determined not to be. My stomach twisted at the memory, I had been such a stalker, and a massive douche to her when she caught me. I couldn't even get my words out. But I think it was sorted now, I mean we managed to have a semi normal conversation during science. Well, after I managed to remove Corey's hands from her. He was such an asshole. I had only heard a snippet of what he said to her it was something about her father but I knew it made her uncomfortable.

The little girl was still staring a little dumbstruck at me and I stopped directly next to her kneeled down sister as she began mumbling to herself about being disorganised.

"Looking for this?" And there I went sounding like a creep again. I could have at least said hi.

"Ah" Kim jumped startled by my sudden closeness and arrival. She fell backwards onto her butt and snapped her head up to look at me, her annoyed frown softening into a taken aback open mouthed gape.

I held the book out to her, her eyes scanning over the Romeo and Juliet swirled writing on the front cover and she frowned in confusion again before taking it from me cautiously. "You left it yesterday" I cleared up and she frowned harder before nodding and giving me the smallest of smiles, but that small smile sent my heart into a series on skips, she was beautiful.

"Thank you" Her soft voice sent chills through me, she was so perfect but I was sure she couldn't see it. Her comment yesterday about her being plain and boring had haunted me all night; I couldn't understand how she could think that about herself. She was beautiful and enticing, there was nothing boring about her or plain, she was so different to the other girls here, they were the plain ones not her.

Before I could say another word the small Kim started tapping on the rusty car behind them and Kim turned at the sound, nodding she quickly stood up bringing her bag with her and holding it over her shoulder while the Shakespeare book lay in her hand lazily. "Thanks" She said again, holding the book up slightly before taking the younger girls hand and walking toward the Elementary section of the school. She had barely got two car lengths away before my legs started following her, I was a total creep but I couldn't just let her go again so I kept following, I was well aware that she was glancing back to see if I was following and not long after she glanced back the younger one did.

"He's following Kimmy" She whispered but I heard it as clear as if she had shouted it. I wanted to laugh from the genuinely terrified tone to her little voice but I kept it in knowing full well it would tip me over the edge of stalker mode and I would definitely find myself being slapped with a restraining order. Kim seemed to nod, pulling the girl closer to her before marching on toward the front doors. The girl was giving her some resistance, like she didn't want to go but it was only slight like she was simply shuffling her feet but Kim had a death grip on her small hand forcing her forward.

I watched as Kim disappeared into one of the classrooms, I knew if I followed it would be that step to far so I waited, listening to her soft voice as she spoke inside and although I couldn't hear her words I could tell she was trying to soothe someone. The first bell rang out behind me but I didn't move, I just stood waiting for the girl who had stolen my dreams for the last week to resurface and she did only seconds after the bell stopped ringing. Her eyes fell straight on mine and my breath caught in my throat again as my ears became heavy with the sound of her erratic heartbeat. She seemed to stop for a second, hovering on the spot as she stared at me but just as quickly she seemed to make up her mind and set into a determined walk to where I was although she didn't stop, she just walked straight by.

"Hey Kim" I offered as I fell into a stride beside her and I had to say that for such a small girl she could walk with some speed. She glanced up at me, her cute smile spreading across her face like she couldn't help it but her eyes were resistant, she was trying to hold back and I knew why. She obviously had no idea why I was suddenly being like I was with her. I knew damn well that I had showed little attention to her since we were kids, truth be told I hadn't really noticed her lately. I remember I had a crush on her in second grade, but it was a childish crush, giving each other our snacks and milk kind of crush nothing more. Since then I had barely seen her and now I felt stupid for it. How I had missed her was beyond me, she was gorgeous.

"Hi" Her little voice squeaked nervously and she dropped her glance from me to the floor in front. "Thanks for the book" She said again and I shrugged it off, it was nothing.

My fingers reached out smoothing over the cover and as her hand swung back mid walk my finger brushed the back of her hand, she stopped briefly sending me into a mirroring halt, the erratic beat of her heart skipped a few beats before falling back into the harsh beats. There was a fire bursting through my fingertips, her skin causing a bigger heat on mine and I could feel my own heart failing me slightly as her blush grew in her cheeks. This was quickly becoming awkward.

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be" I blurted out and her startled expression turned to confusion, I confused her a lot. Every time I saw her I seemed to make her frown rather than smile and it was killing me. She shook her head in misunderstanding and I pointed to her book in her hand.

"You read it?" She asked, her voice full of surprise and her perfectly shaped eyebrows shot up as she moved the book closer to her.

"Well...I read a few pages here and there. I couldn't get my head around some of the words" I felt stupid as the words left my mouth because she obviously was smarter than me, but it was the truth. It was all too English for me, obviously I know that's not how British people speak now but it was still far too old English for my simple brain. Her surprised face turned into the smallest smile I had ever seen but her eyes sparkled in what I took to be amusement. "Your obviously smarter than me because I gave up after reading four pages...truth be told I googled the plot" I went on hoping to make her smile again and she rewarded my wit with a chuckle. Her brown eyes swirling in amusement.

"Want to know a secret?" She turned to me, her voice brighter than I had heard it when directed at me. I raised an eyebrow waiting for whatever it was and she giggled at herself before straightening up. Her giggle was so contagious but I held mine in. "I googled it too, I lasted five pages before giving up and using Wikipedia" She offered and I laughed I had used Wikipedia too, it was such a useful but dodgy site but then I frowned, it was her turn to confuse me.

"Then why read it?" I asked and she looked at me like I was stupid, most people looked at me like that to be fair but from Kim it seemed to hurt a little more.

"Umm Jared it's our English project"

Ok so maybe I was stupid. But then again I hadn't been in school much lately so I was behind in every single class I took. "Really?" I asked and she again looked at me funnily but this time it was like she thought I had brain damage.

"No I just read Shakespeare for fun" She rolled her eyes, her body language and tone of voice seeping in sarcasm as she started letting out the tiniest of giggles and I couldn't help it this time, she had the perfect laugh it just stirred happiness in me and I found myself staring at her with the widest grin I could master, knowing full well I probably looked like a freak right now but I didn't care. The warning bell rang out over her laughter cutting her off as her sparkling eyes fell to a sort of dread; she glanced back at the Elementary school behind us before back at me. It was almost like she felt guilty or something. I wanted to ask but I didn't want to pry so I left it, letting myself fall into a walk beside her as we headed up the steps into school. I think I was getting better as this, I wasn't being a stalker. At least I don't think I was and she looked less angry with me, a real blush formed on her cheeks as she smiled nervously next to me.

* * *

"Dude you're like a girl" Embry laughed as he hit my shoulder, I turned to scowl at him but failed to do so knowing he was completely right. I was doing what could only be described as a skip down the school hallway toward the lunch hall. Toward where I knew I would see Kim.

"Yeah man, you're totally whipped" Quil offered in and him and Embry fist pumped each other in happiness at their continuous teasing of me. They had been doing it for the last double period of History, both of them going on and on at me about how I was a love sick puppy. I was actually praying they imprinted soon so they knew how it felt, being away from her actually physically hurt, it was like I could feel her but I couldn't see her or be nearer to her. It was a form of torture I was sure of it.

I shot my two friends glares, pushing through the crowd ahead of us and completely ignoring Jacob as he hopped over. I could hear the two guys filling him in as they followed me and a series of new playful insults filled the air behind me. I should have known it was coming, they were like it with Sam and Paul as well but less so due to the fact those two actually had their girls, I was just pining after mine like a loser.

I walked in to the lunch hall my eyes darting straight to the sound that filled my ears. I could hear it constantly, we could be in different parts of the school building but I could still hear it. Her heart beat drumming away like a melody in my head, soothing me, letting me know she was ok. As her eyes rested on mine the beat picked up to an erratic thumping and I could see the blush in her cheeks forming as mine grew up my neck. I was acting like a total girl but she was worth it. I felt needy and self conscious all the time, worrying that she thought badly of me, panicking that she wouldn't feel the same way for me that I do for her. She shuffled in her seat nervously as I made my way to her, it had been two days since I managed to stir a conversation with her without being a crazy stalker and both days she had actually let me have lunch with her. She didn't talk much, she was shy and so I did most of the chatting while she nodded or gave basic answers but being around her was all I needed. I could tell she was wary of me, but then again I didn't exactly blame her.

"Hi Kim" I blurted out quickly as I ran for the empty chair next to her faster than I should be doing in a crowded hall, I just felt desperate to get it before someone else did. But as I ran toward her my foot caught on a bag that lay on the floor and I fell, stumbling right into the side of her chair nearly knocking her from it as I slid to the ground with an almighty thud. She let up the tiniest of gasps as I steadied myself, my hands crashed around for grip on something and I snatched them back as I realised I had grabbed a hold of her leg, the blush in my cheeks grew as my body filled with embarrassment and I picked myself up from the floor by her feet trying to duck my head from her view. She probably thought I was an asshole; I literally fell on top of her. Well now I didn't stand a chance.

But as I stood up I noticed her laughing into her hands, blowing through her lips like she was trying to calm herself and although I felt stupid and clumsy there was a roar of triumph in my chest at the fact I had made her laugh. I didn't care about the laughing around me, or the booming low chuckles and wolf whistles coming from the group of guys behind me, my brothers were definitely going to tease me for that but I couldn't care less. She was laughing and she was smiling at me.

"Hi Jared, enjoy your trip?" She offered as I lowered myself into the chair sheepishly, she was grinning wider than she had before and as I sat down she crept her lunch tray toward me offering me some of her fries. I liked this girl; I liked this girl a lot.

* * *

"Ok ok so you remember in 6th grade when we were in gym class and the fire alarms went off and we all had to go stand out in the snow for like an hour?" I chuckled as I spoke, still laughing from the last topic of conversation. Although I shouldn't be laughing, I should be worried; the girl said she didn't like peanut butter. I mean who doesn't like peanut butter? I could eat a whole tub in ten minutes and not feel sick. I made it my life goal in that moment to ensure she one day ate peanut butter and liked it. I made a kicking peanut butter sandwich using toasted bread. Hell yeah, chef Jared.

She nodded at me, her eyes still alight with the shadow of her previous carefree giggles. I pointed at myself and nodded over dramatically whilst trying not to be cocky about it. Her face fell in confusion then rose again in surprise. "You? You set the alarms of?" She sounded a little shocked and I nodded proudly. She smiled then it dropped and she narrowed her eyes at me to be grumpy, although I could see she wasn't serious.

"I was in shorts and a top, I got a cold that day...I lived off dodgy tinned soup for a week after that day. My toes were blue when I finally got back inside" She said accusingly and I felt sort of bad, but that vanished as she cocked her head to the side to let up a laugh and shook her head in disbelief. Ok so I felt bad I made her ill but that snow lesson was the best gym class we ever had and she knew it.

We both started giggling at the memories, I remember Jacob had managed to steal a lid from one of the metal trash cans and started sledging down the small school field hill on it, he broke his arm that day.

"I miss being a kid" I laughed again, I was so engrossed in Kim I hadn't paid the slightest attention to anybody around us during the last half hour of lunch. Nor did I intend to do so. Lunch was the only time I managed to get Kim to talk to me like this. We had been having lunch together for 5 days now; the weekend had been so long it actually felt like a lifetime without seeing her. Science was different, it was in class and she was focused so she barely talked to me but at lunch each day she had come more and more out of her shell. She didn't dare share any information about herself she just listened to me and occasionally gave an input but for now I could deal with the one sided conversations just as long as I had her close by to me.

"Hmmm" Was all Kim offered, her eyes that had been trained onto me now drifted and I followed them dutifully as she glanced over nearby tables of our classmates, she landed on one and stopped, I let myself tare my glance away from her and saw where she was looking. Embry, Quil and Jacob were crowded around a tiny table with 6 trays of food between them. Each one of them was staring at us, food hanging out of their mouths as they watched with interest like we were a TV show. Assholes. They were so damn nosey. I glanced back to Kim, I could hear her heart beating out of sync like she was suddenly nervous that she was on show. She was frowning, whether it was confusion or discomfort I couldn't tell but she wasn't happy like she had been two seconds ago and it was all them assholes fault.

"Why do your friends eat like such pigs?" She suddenly asked, her head turning back to me as she spoke and I realised she was uncomfortable, she was disgusted. And with good reason, Jake now had ketchup dripping down his chin while Embry was licking some sort of sauce off the side of his drinks bottle. Eurgh. I swear to god when I get to Sam's later I am forcing Emily and Rachel to do a etiquette lesson with those guys.

I sighed, shaking my head as I watched Quil take a half eaten apple from Embry's plate and finish it off for him. It was so not right. I hoped I didn't look like that when I ate.

"You don't" Kim said simply as she gulped at her water as if trying to fight of nausea. Had I said that out loud? I looked at her certain that I to was frowning. "Oh you just looked sort of worried for a minute" She explained and I nodded. I felt worried. That was just plain vile. The three guys obviously hearing us turned and went back to grabbing food of each other's plates.

We went back to nibbling on our own food; she had what she had most days, fries and ketchup while I had a burger, slice of pizza, fries and a salad. I had learned that Kim wasn't a salad girl; she grimaced as I ate plain lettuce leaves yesterday. Which wasn't a bad thing, at least I knew she would never be one of those girls who ate nothing but salad on dates, I hated that sort of girl. I'd rather she sat there pigging out on fries and a burger than sit there with a plain salad.

I looked up from taking a bite of my pizza slice and I saw Kim was sat staring out of the big lunch hall windows, her eyes sad and dull so different to what they had been only minutes before and I found myself turning in my seat to see what it was she was looking at. The hall overlooked the playground of the lower schools and I zoned in on the little crowd of kids gathered by the lunch tables that lay outside, sat on one of them was the little girl who had been with Kim the other day, the mini Kim as I called her. Surrounding her was a bunch of kids a mix of boy and girls, they all seemed to be saying stuff like talk to her all at once and I could see her cowering away as they kept on and on. Kim said nothing and so I kept watching, in the distance of the playground I saw Rachel come storming out of her classroom door and with a face like thunder, much like the one she used on us guys when we did something wrong. She marched right up to the group of kids, shouting at them as they all dispersed and the little mini Kim went running off in the opposite direction of everyone including Rachel.

I turned back to Kim, she was twiddling her fork around her fries moving them across the plate and then back again and I could see the overwhelming sadness in her eyes. I was sure she should be crying right now from the sadness there but there were no tears. She looked back to me, offering a small smile before letting her fork clatter to the table and she simply pushed the plate away before laying her hands on the table.

We were silent for what felt like hours but was only actually a few seconds before she finally looked back up at me. "She's my sister" She said simply, my brain moved into action trying to remember ever knowing of her having a younger sister. All I knew was that she had Sophie and that obviously she lost Sophie. "Bailey, she's 10" She offered more and I did the math, she was only a baby when the incident happened and I had never really knew much about Kim's family so it shouldn't be a surprise I hadn't known she was her sister. Now I could see the sibling resemblance even more and she seemed even more of a mini Kim than before.

"She's tiny" It was all I could say but it was the truth, I had thought she was 8 at the most but 10? There was no way she could be that small at 10. Kim smiled slightly and nodded but her smile fell and the sadness was back.

"She gets picked on. The kids go on at her about our family past, asking her questions about what happened and making comments. She doesn't know what to do when they do it so she's pretty lonely, I feel bad that I make her go to school you know but I guess it helps that Rachel Black is her teacher, she's friendly and keeps an eye out for her" She let out all this information causing me to freeze in shock that she was actually letting me in on her life even if it was only snippets. She didn't need to explain what she meant about comments on her family past, I knew and I think she knew I knew because her eyes darted nervously down to her lap as she spoke but I wasn't going to ask. It wasn't my business and I barely knew her yet.

"Yeah Rachel's nice, she's dating my friend Paul" I chose to focus on that rather than the other bits and Kim gave me a smile as if appreciating me not lingering on the family subject and without thinking my hands fell across the table resting on top of hers in a comforting way but the beating in my ears picked up again, her cheeks blushed and her body went rigid like she was awkward.

"I should go check on her" She whispered and stood up letting her hands slip from mine, picking her bag up off the floor she gave me a smile that didn't do much to ease the stupid feeling I had. I shouldn't have done that, she barely knew she properly and I go holding her hand like a douche.

"Thanks for lunch Jared, I'll see you around?" She said suddenly and I glanced back up at her to see a more genuine smile on her face. There was hope there but not too much, like she was holding herself back from her true feelings but the slight glimmer was enough for me and I gave her a wide smile back and nodded. I didn't want to let her go but her sister needed her so I guess I had to. I watched as she turned and walked quickly from the lunch room, each step she took made the warmth in my heart fade but the beating in my ears rang out just as loud as it had been when she was sat right here.

I turned to look at my three friends, each of them were back to staring at me and on queue we all looked out of the window to where Kim was now walking with Rachel in the direction her sister had ran. My eyes landed on the kids that had been saying stuff, anger sparked within me instantly. Kim was my imprint but Bailey was her sister who automatically made her important to me and knowing those twits her upsetting her over something as serious as what happened made me want to punch each of their tiny little faces. Bastards.

"Well at least we know one thing" I heard Embry comment from the table we sat at and I turned to look at them as they stared at one another.

"What?" Quil asked.

"Jared's whipped" Jake scoffed as he shoved more food in his mouth. Ok that kid was getting a hit.

"No idiot. Jared, the guy who once said he would never fall in love is well and truly falling for her" There was amusement in his voice as he spoke. I had to agree although his arrogance on the matter made me even angrier.

He was right though; I was the guy who always said I wouldn't ever fall for a girl, that I wanted to be a bachelor forever with the freedom to do whatever. But after knowing her for less than two weeks she had me, and I knew one thing, I would do whatever it takes to protect her and her little sister, even from the nasty comments of 10 year olds.

* * *

**Ok so just because I know I've been annoying you all there is only one chapter left until we find out exactly what happened with Kim's family :D I don't like spoiling it like this but you're all confused and asking loads of questions so just hold in there for one more chapter people :D xx**

**Oh and leave a review and follow :D **


	6. Chapter 6

It was just getting worse. Bailey came home every day so hysterical about the things being said that most days she didn't want to go to the beach, she wanted to go straight home which was completely out of character because she hated being at home. This morning it seemed worse, she had actually began crying when I chucked her clothes at her to get changed for school, she had cried so hard she woke dad up and he had promptly yelled at me for letting her be so upset about school, told her she didn't have to go anymore then when I tried to protest he stormed out like he did whenever I questioned him about anything. It was like he couldn't handle anything and so just gave easy answers like telling a ten year old she didn't have to go to school.

I watched from the kitchen window as he crawled into his old beat up Chevrolet truck and sped from our overgrown front yard, my heart sinking as he did so with the hard reality that nothing changed, no matter how much I prayed before bed that it would, or dreamt up that I would wake to find him back to how he used to be, but every morning I woke to him locked in his room, he no longer said goodbye as he left for work. Although I stopped believing he was actually going to work when I turned 14, it was obvious that as he worked in a warehouse just outside of Forks that dealt with timber supplies, he shouldn't be coming home smelling of whiskey.

I turned as sniffling entered the room, Bailey was stood in with her school bag all dressed and ready to go but tears still streamed down her little face as I walked to her and took her hand in mine. Although dad told her not to go she was sensible and knew she had to, but I still felt like crap for making her.

* * *

It was just over a week now that Jared had been sitting with me at lunch, at first I minded. At first I wanted him to just back off and quit at whatever joke he was playing but as the days went on I realised he never once asked me the questions many others jumped to ask and I let myself truly believe that maybe he just wanted to talk to me, to be friends of sorts. He didn't even pry when I told him about Bailey being bullied about what happened, he had changed the subject and just accepted the information so easily with no probing of what was said to her or why.

The more Jared sat with me the harder I crushed on him; he told me everything about himself but didn't seem to mind that I offered nothing about myself. It wasn't that I didn't want to tell him it's that I have nothing to tell; I was boring and plain and did nothing interesting or funny that he would give a damn about so I preferred to listen to him talk. His voice although low and rough was soothing and beautiful, I was hooked from the minute he said hi and I couldn't concentrate on anything else if I tried. He was unbelievably funny, the stories he told caused me to giggle without having to force any of it, and he had so many stories of him and his friends. A lot of them involved Paul Lahote who I now knew was dating Rachel Black although I didn't really know who he was.

I zoned in on the sparkle in his eyes as he sat next to me at the small lunch table, he was gulping down on his drink whilst finishing off my fries. I ate too many fries, I had fries for lunch and more for dinner but it was what I was used to eating I suppose, plus I only had a dollar lunch money every day because Bailey had the rest for hers and to get her new clothes so fries and water was all I could afford. I didn't necessarily like or want fries all the time, I got sort of sick of them but it was all I could have so there was no point in getting sad about it.

"Hey what are you doing tonight?" Jared suddenly asked switching the conversation from him telling a story about when he pranked his mom by putting her hair spray can label on a glitter spray can. I double took him for a second before shaking my head at him. "I thought me and you could go out, we only ever talk in school I figured we could go somewhere else" He added in as I stayed silent and the sparkle in his eyes faded a little.

My stomach flipped and I suddenly felt uncomfortable under his stare as I tried finding a way to say no without sounding like I was actually saying no. Everything in me wanted to go, my heart was skipping at the idea of us going out together somewhere other than school but I couldn't, I had Bailey and I had to make sure my dad ate. My life was too complicated. The longer I waited to reply the worse Jared's eyes dulled, he was getting edgier and started flittering in his seat. "Jared" I started but he stopped me as he leant back awkwardly in his chair, his shoulders slumping.

"It's ok, forget I asked" He spoke with such disappointment it physically hurt my heart and my chest clenched tighter than it had ever done before. I perked up in my seat, trying to close the gap between us thinking it would help.

"No it's not like that, I really would love to it's just my dad works nights and I have Bailey" It was the first lie I could think of, it was practically the truth, my dad was out most nights just not at work. Jared sat up again, his sadness dispelling slightly but only slightly, he was still disappointed and it hurt thinking he was like it because of me. I really liked him, as if really liked. More than the simple crush I had had since I was a kid, this was more than a crush, I genuinely couldn't stop thinking about him, he made me feel so real and alive. I watched as he started playing with his food and I could see he was still upset.

"How about you come to the beach with Bailey and me after school? I take her most days, she likes the water" I offered before I really thought it through and as soon as the words left my mouth he sat bolt upright and a smile grew on his face lighting him up.

* * *

"Hey Kim" A male voice rang out to me as I walked down to the beach from the car park, I turned to see Jared and although my heart lifted and skipped my stomach dropped ever so slightly. I had hoped he would forget. Not because I didn't want to see him but because I didn't want to put everything at risk. If I let myself fall for him and let him close then there was a risk he could find out about my dad and if people found out about my dad's drinking and that he was never home then they could take Bailey from us. I couldn't lose her; I had lost one sister I couldn't lose another.

"Hey" I offered back as he reached me and a huge grin spread across his face immediately causing one to light up on mine. I was being an idiot, he just wanted to be friends and so far he hadn't needed to know anything about me to be that.

We turned to walk back down the beach together, my eyes were trained on Bailey as she jumped around in the water, she had spotted Jared and I but seemed to ignore his presence. She wasn't bothered by him much, I mean she didn't like him but she didn't mind him being here. She just didn't like boys, or men I suppose. They scared her; I think it was because she had never been around a man who was nice. Not that our dad wasn't, he never hurt us nor would he ever hurt us physically, he just wasn't ever there and the boys she knew from school either picked on her or was Corey who she saw saying crap to me. I preferred it if she were wary of men anyway, it was better that way. If she stayed well away from them then they couldn't hurt her either. Well, at least that was my way of seeing it.

"And she's down" Jared whispered playfully bringing me back from my daydream, I glanced up to where he was looking and sure enough Bailey as per usual was sat in the water letting her clothes get soaked. Ok, this kid was getting a tiny bit annoying with this now. Jared started laughing, the sound of his husky chuckle washing away my annoyance and before I knew it I was giggling at my sister as she started doing roly poly's in the water. "She's sweet" Jared said again and I nodded, she was a good kid which was surprising due to everything that she went through from such a young age. I had expected her to be a brat but she was polite and caring.

"I'm sorry I couldn't go out with you tonight" I suddenly blurted out feeling the need to ensure he knew it wasn't because I didn't want to go with him because I did, I really really did. He shook his head at me as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans, he was dressed simply in jeans and a hoody, much like me except my jeans were skinny and my hoody wasn't a massive black manly one, mine was cute and purple.

"This is better than not doing anything with you" He spoke so quietly I had nearly missed what he said over the loud humming of the wind and sea. My stomach flipped at his words but I slapped myself internally before I let the thoughts hit me that maybe he liked me, he was just being friendly. That's all this was. "So how come you come here so much? Your here most days right?" He turned his body to me slightly offering a now louder and more conversational tone.

I nodded at him, shoving my own hands in my hoody pocket as the wind started chilling them. "Bailey likes it; it lets her chill out after school because she gets so stressed out at school I suppose. I don't like to have her cooped up in the house all night. You come here much?" I wasn't used to talking about myself with him, he never normally asked but even as he did it felt good to let him know little pieces.

"Oh yeah" He chuckled and kicked at the sand in front of him as we continued to walk, following Bailey as she continued to skip through the waves. "My friends and I we are here most weekends, having picnics and stuff, bonfires, hanging out. You should come; I think my friends would love you. Rachel comes so you'd know her and then there's Emily who is real kind. She wants to meet you she's sick of just hearing about you" He went on and I nodded with each thing he said but knew full well I wouldn't be coming to the beach with his friends. I stopped when he said the last part, my body turning to face him as my stomach began flipping from the ideas he stirred in my head. He talked about me.

"Hearing about me?" I tried not to sound intrusive but as I asked Jared blushed a deep red like he had been caught out and he looked down at his feet before back up at me, his eyebrows creased before he laughed at himself nervously.

"Umm yeah...nothing bad I promise, I just tell her that I like hanging out with you. Because I do." He rushed his words trying to get it over with and despite the confusion of why he would talk about me to his friends I found myself smiling for a second, I felt special, like I was cared about. He seemed to care for me, at least I thought he did. "Sorry, I'm being a stalker again aren't I?" He smiled sheepishly and I couldn't help but laugh at him shaking my head.

"No, I've just never really been like this with anyone" And there went my mouth, I kept blurting stuff out that I didn't mean to say. Now I would look like a lonely freak. He cocked his head to the side, frowning in confusion as if for me to carry on. "Umm I just guess I never had many friends, not any that I really liked being around anyway" Ok this was getting worse. No more, I was going to shut up. I turned and started walking again but he ran to keep up with me.

"You like being around me?" He asked and my stomach flipped as we touched on a subject area that was too intense for my liking, this was reaching new levels where I would need to admit my crush or we would discuss us being friends or whatever it was. I didn't do this with people, I don't do conversations about feelings.

I looked up at his hopeful face and found myself unable to deny him so I nodded, giving me the opportunity to give me a glowing smile. "I like being around you to, I would like it more if you would let me take you out though" He sounded more confident this time than I had heard him in the week we had been talking. My whole body shivered at the sound of his husky confidence and I was sure I was turning red. But my mind was in an internal battle, I liked that he was here with me but I was confused as to why. Why did he want to be around me like he had been?

"Or not" He said again and his walking got faster paced so that I literally had to jog to get to him again.

"No it's not that Jared, I would but I just guess I don't understand" I offered, my own thoughts suddenly becoming too loud to keep down and I felt a surge of confidence coming on which was never good for me because it just got embarrassing when I got confident to ask something.

"About what?

I stopped and he followed me so we were looking at one another, my hair blew around my face from the wind and although it was a dull day I was squinting from the brightness of the grey sky. "Well, I guess I don't understand why your bothering with me? I'm just me, I'm not really exciting or anything. You could go and hang out with any girl in our class" I stopped as he shook his head at me in disbelief.

"Kim just stop, maybe I don't want to go out with one of them. I like being around you and I want to get to know you more" He was firm but still kind and my heart fluttered at his words as I heard the truth beneath them. Maybe I was over analysing it, maybe he did just like me as a friend and wanted to hang out, and he had no hidden agenda I was just over thinking it like I did everything. I worry too much.

"So will you let me take you out for dinner Kimberly Michaels?" He let out a sigh as he asked, chuckling as he did so and my stomach flipped again.

Before I could answer the harsh vibrating erupted in my back pocket and I reached around to pull out my phone, an unknown number was ringing. I looked up at Jared signalling that I would be one minute and he nodded simply but I could see the irritation that his question was interrupted. He walked off ahead of me toward Bailey as she sat in the sand by the water and I flicked my old phone open.

"Hello?"

"Hi is this Kim Michaels, daughter of Ted Michaels" A gruff voice came down the phone and the horrible feeling washed over me as I recognised the voice, the Forks police department. I had spoken to this man numerous times over the past few years. Charlie Swan, he was a kind man. He always tried to act like he didn't know me as well as he should by now but I was the pity in his eyes when he saw me. He knew, at least I think he knew about dads problems but he never said anything and for that I was grateful.

"Yes sir" I sighed knowing full well what he was about to say.

"I'm sorry Kim its officer Swan from Fork's police department, we have your father down here, we need you to come pick him up as soon as possible we are at the hospital" My stomach sank with his words and worry began shaking through me as he said hospital. "He's ok, he was just in a fight" Charlie added kindly when I stayed silent and the worry ceased. He would be fine, he was a biggish man he could handle himself in a fight. Although he really shouldn't be in one.

"I'll be there soon" I sighed before clicking my phone shut and turning to were Jared was now sat with Bailey, he was sat a little bit away and she was staring at him warily but they seemed to be talking. They both looked up at me as I approached them and I thought I saw a smile on Baileys face but it was so small it could have been her squinting.

"You ok?" Jared asked, worry leaking in his voice and he stood up instantly as I got to where they were. I nodded but he seemed to frown more like he didn't believe me.

"We have to go, my dad needs a ride from work" My voice shook giving me away and both Bailey and Jared gave me looks to tell me they knew I was lying but neither said anything more, Bailey just stood up in her wet clothes and started doing an awkward walk toward me.

"Hey you want this?" Jared asked her pointing to his hoody and she nodded instantly, before I could protest he pulled it off revealing his bare torso underneath. Bailey paid no attention she just took the jumper and ran to the car with my car keys to get changed into it while I tried peeling my eyes from the well formed six pack that lay on him, he wasn't even tensing and it was there. He was big for his age, toned and it was obvious he had a big appetite but his muscles were crazy. His laugh broke through my stare and I shook myself from my gaping to see him snorting at me. Ok well now I look like the stalker.

"I gotta go, I'll bring your jumper in tomorrow" I offered as I backed away and Jared just nodded at me and winked causing more heat to rise through my neck to my cheeks. He was too good looking. "Bye" I called simply before turning and running up the sand to the car.

"Bye Kim" He called out after me but I didn't look back because I knew if I did I'd get lost in that perfect body again. He was beautiful. He was perfect. He was way out of my league.

I ran all the way to the car, when I reached it I threw myself in and looked across at Bailey, her wet clothes were in a pile by her feet and she had the jumper on, it drowned her, reaching below her knee so it covered her well but she looked so small in it.

"You got it bad" She sung at me then winked. "Jared and Kim sitting in a tree"

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And that's what I had the whole way to Fork's general. Her singing that stupid song while I continued to blush over the memories of a half naked Jared. I locked Bailey in the car out the front of the hospital while I went in and as soon as I walked through the front doors to the hospital I could hear my dad's slurred voice travelling across the reception area. I walked to the front desk and the blonde woman smiled up at me and shoved an insurance paper at me.

"Umm I'm here for my dad, he's with the police I got told to pick him up" I spoke as quietly as I could and her smile dropped, instead offering a mixture of pity and annoyance, he had obviously pissed her off.

"He's in that room there" She said with her voice full of irritability and pointed to a small side room with glazed over glass. I smiled as kindly as I could at the woman knowing it wasn't her fault she was rude, my dad was annoying when he was like this. I hurried for the door, knocking before entering and as I did the smell of beer hit me as his voice did to.

"You don't understand she's gone, you gotta find her she's gone" He was begging, his body cupped over in front of Charlie Swan who turned to look at me giving me his own soft smile and a small head nod.

"Kimberly" He held his arm out letting me come further in and so I did, I made my way for my dad who I could see was crying. "Look Teddy, your daughters here to get you" Officer Swan stated his gruff voice kind but also a hint of annoyance was there. My dad looked up, his eyes scanning over me before a new sob let out.

"No..I need Sophie, Kimmy get your sister please get her" He begged at me as he slumped down in a chair and Officer Swan backed up letting me get closer. My heart felt like it was breaking, I hated this, it never got easier. I wanted to sit and cry with him but I couldn't, I needed to hold it together for him and Bailey.

"Daddy, Bailey's in the car waiting. We should go home and get some food" I held my hand out for him but he shook his head.

"We don't got no food, we got nothing, no money, no food, no nothing. I can't do anything for you Kim, I'm no good. I lost my baby girl and I lost your mother, don't leave me Kim, don't you leave me too" He sobbed and the lump in my throat broke but I refused to let the tears fall. Instead I knelt down in front of him and he let his hand come down on the top of my head to cradle me. He was never this close to me, it felt nice but the situation wasn't what I wanted.

"I'm not going anywhere daddy. But we need to get to Bailey" I spoke softly and his head looked up to nod at me, I didn't doubt he loved Bailey, he hadn't been that great with her but he loved her, he loved us. He wasn't a bad dad he was just lost.

"They said such horrible things Kim, they said...they said" He stuttered over his words as he stood up trying to explain what happened but I didn't need to know what he was going to say. They had probably called him names, said he was the one who was to blame for Sophie going missing. It was what a lot of people had thought at one stage, maybe they still did but I never believed it.

"I know daddy, come on" I pulled him toward the door, offering a smile to Charlie as he held it open for us. The police here were good, they never arrested him or charged him, they would keep him until he sobered up or I could get him but they sympathised with the situation. Not many people would do it but Charlie Swan did. Maybe it's because he was the officer who dealt with the Sophie stuff, he knew us better than other people around here and he knew that if they arrested my dad and he went away then Bailey and I would be screwed more than we were now.

I led dad out to the car, Bailey looked away as I led him to the car because she didn't like seeing him like his and by the time Charlie and I had put him across the back seat he was snoring.

"Thank you Sir" I called to Charlie as I turned to my side of the car and he shook his head as if to say it was no big deal but it was. I got in the car and as I did Bailey's little hand reached out to hold mine for a second and she gave me a teary smile, she had been young back then but she still got upset over everything that had happened and I didn't blame her. She had been through a lot.

I pulled away watching my dad as he slept in the back seat, his lip was split and his knuckles bruised, my heart sunk knowing that what they had said to him was probably my fault. No one would have blamed him like they had if I hadn't been a coward back then, he wouldn't have been arrested for kidnapping his own daughter if I had never drawn that stupid picture.

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**Oooo little bit more info in this one, the next one will be up asap and more will be revealed :D I know the stuff with Jared is being rushed but I want to get to revealing stuff and then I can focus on them some more and build the relationship. Thanks for reading, get reviewing people I want to know if its good :D xxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Double update as i am feeling nice :D**

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I managed to make it to third period before it happened. It was inevitable really. Someone was bound to know and it was most likely going to be the same person it always was. As I attempted to make my way to Science my way became blocked by Corey Blackmore, his grinning face peering down at my short frame like he was a predator about to leap on his prey. The kid seriously had it in for me.

"Hi Kimberly" He leaned himself against the locker next to mine but his large body moved with me each time I moved and after a while it got boring so I stood still letting him get his kicks in tormenting me.

"Corey" I stated simply and he smiled wider at me cocking his head to the side.

"I didn't think I'd see you in school today, shouldn't you be at home with daddy making sure he doesn't top himself or something?" He chuckled to himself but I made sure to just stare at him, it was all the same stuff he used. I had no idea why he was so obsessed with still bringing it up to me; no one else had bothered for nearly two years now. "I mean if I were him I don't think I could live with myself" He went on this time catching my attention. What did he mean by that?

"Excuse me?" I asked my voice a little sharper than it had been for a while which only seemed to feed Corey as he grew cockier.

"Your daddy getting into drunken fights again tut tut tut. You see my dad works in Forks General, saw yours getting pulled in last night. Heard him screaming about how his daughters gone, how he lost her, how he broke his family. Sounded very guilty apparently" He stopped but I found nothing to say back, my heart was hammering in my chest as I listened to his words. "My dad told me something...apparently it was you that got your own dad arrested for murdering your sister. He said so, your dad he said it was all his fault. That he had hurt his own family apparently. Dad said that it was you that got him put as a suspect, his own daughter having him put up for killing his other daughter. Little harsh don't you think?" He stopped again and this time I felt the stinging in my eyes but bit back the tears.

"She's not dead" Was all I could say, he was saying she was but she wasn't. She was alive I knew it, I had to believe it.

"Yeah you believe that. How does it feel knowing that your family's like it is because you set your own father up? Damn that's cold" Corey chuckled to himself before turning away from me but I couldn't hold it in like I normally could. Not after spending all night soothing my dad as he cried for the two women he lost, not after everything that happened yesterday, I couldn't hold it in. He was right; I had caused a lot of shit in my family because of what happened. As much as I tried to ignore his comment I couldn't, I reached my limit. I couldn't handle his snide remarks anymore, my sister coming home in tears every day, my dad drinking himself to death because of me and my stupid stupid childishness back then.

"Coming Michaels?" He sang out as he made his way toward our Chemistry class but I couldn't. I dropped my books to the floor and turned walking quickly down the corridor to the front door of the school as tears threatened to spill over.

"Kim" A new voice rang out and my heart dropped as I recognised it, Jared. There were mumbled words I couldn't hear before another yell. "What did you do Blackmore?"

Before I heard the answer I pushed myself through the glass front doors, my body hitting the cold air as I ran down the steps, the lump in my throat growing too painful to be held back by this point. The tears were there, blurring my eyes and stinging them as they tried to hold themselves in, I rarely cried. I don't think I had cried since the day my mom died but right now it was just building up within me. A crash of doors sprang behind me and heavy footsteps pounded down the steps after me. I half expected Corey's nasty voice to spring up but it wasn't him.

"Kim wait up" Jared yelled for me as I fumbled in my bag for my car keys but my blurry eyes were making it impossible for me to see anything but I kept searching as I walked until a hand on my shoulders stopped me, spinning me around as a warm wave crashed over me. "Kim what's happened?" He asked again, his voice was leaking in genuine concern, something that I could never handle. It hurt more when people actually cared. My hands rummaged one last time in my bag but I couldn't find my keys and in a fit of hysterical sobs and anger I threw my bag to the ground as the tears that had done so well at staying in fell over and scorched down my cheeks.

"Damn it I just want to go home" I sobbed as Jared pulled my closer to him, cradling me against his warm body as I cried in tears that burned with the years of unshed grief and anger. "I need my keys" I tried again but Jared just shh'd me and pulled me closer.

"Kim calm down what's wrong?" His kind voice was too emotional for my liking, he was too worried, too genuinely concerned for me. It made my tears worse because I had craved that genuine care for years and never got it yet here was a guy I barely knew offering it to me like we had known each other forever.

"Everything. Everything's just crap and it's my entire fault. He was right, I did it, she would be here if I did something, if I said something" I rambled unable to stop the verbal spillage as my emotions reached peak point. There was a pain so fresh it actually tore in my chest and I felt like I couldn't breathe. My breath was trapping in my lump filled throat and before I could say anything else I was being scooped into Jared's warm arms and carried, I hated being carried but he was doing it. I didn't even try to fight him I just let him as he lowered me onto what felt like a seat and a door slammed beside me. I glanced up from my cupped hands to see we were in his truck and before I could protest it was moving and out on the main road and so I bent back over and cried. Because after years of holding it together for other people I couldn't do it anymore, Corey Blackmore finally got what he wanted. He finally got me to break down. He was an asshole.

"Kim" A soft voice called as my body was shook, my head slipped from the perched position it held on my fist and I looked up to see Jared at my door holding it open for me, behind him lay the beach and I noticed we were parked up in the beach car park. My crying had died down on the way over here but my breathing was still hurting me and I felt like I was going to pass out any second. "Kim you need to get out and have some fresh air" Jared tried again this time his hand lingered on my shoulder offering a kind rub to my back before I let him cup his arm around me to pull me out where I steadied myself on my feet.

"Come on" He said as he shut the door behind me and linked his hand in mine pulling me after him, my body was hot and flushed from crying, my cheeks stung but my eyes stung worse and were still blurry as soft tears continued to escape. My throat was scratching too but I followed in silence as I was walked down the steps to the damp sand that lay on the windy beach.

We walked in silence, my mind buzzing over everything Corey had said but I felt stupid. I had let him get to me over nothing, I had been an idiot. I should have just ignored it like I usually did but for some reason it was too hard to ignore it especially after what happened last night with my dad. Jared's hold on my hand was tight but not too tight, it was protective and caring but as I looked over his worried face I felt stupid again. I had made myself look like an ass in front of him.

We walked further down the beach and I saw that Jared was heading toward an oversized log on the edge of the beach right by the tree line. "I'm sorry" I whispered as we reached it and sat down but Jared shook his head at me.

"You don't need to be sorry Kim, I'm just worried about you" His voice was just that, worried and my heart hurt more at the sound of it.

"I never get like this. I never cry. I'm an idiot" I grumbled and lowered my face into my hands but as I did a warm pair caught me and lifted my head up by my chin. Jared was looking directly into my eyes, a determination in his own but also a mix of worry and care.

"You are not idiot Kim, everyone gets sad sometimes" He soothed but I shook my head, I felt embarrassed. He had only just begun talking to me and here I was ruining it by being an emotional wreck. My legs started shaking against the cold wind, my black leggings offering no shield from the bitter chill breezing in from the ocean. Jared scooted closer, his arm hovering like he wanted to wrap it around me but he stopped himself and settled for simply sitting close to me. A burning heat seemed to radiate from him and without him even touching me I was warmer than I had been before.

"Your hot" I stated simply as the heat got firmer, he was definitely like a radiator. He chuckled a little before nudging my shoulder playfully and winking. "I meant temperature wise" I added in as I realised he was laughing because the way I said it. He nodded but was still laughing to himself, I would have blushed if I hadn't been so upset and depressed inside.

"You can talk to me about anything Kim, I want to be able to help you if you need it" Jared whispered after a few seconds of just staring into the sand beneath my feet. I probably looked a mess, I knew my hair was blowing around my face but my cheeks were probably red and my eyes puffy. I was an ugly crier. I turned to him, his eyes serious and truthfully worried as they watched me back and despite my inner dilemmas I nodded at him. I felt like I could tell him everything, I felt like I needed to tell him, that he would make it better but then I still had that part of me that was telling me it was dangerous, that I shouldn't trust him this much when I barely knew him.

But I wanted to, I needed to speak it out loud like I never had done before. I looked up at him, he was still watching me with that emotion in his eyes and I felt the tears grow again in mine. This was hard. "Everything is just a mess, I thought it was ok but it just gets harder and then people like Corey just make it worse you know?" He nodded his head at me as I spoke, the lump in my throat was beginning to get worse to ignore, it was burning with the need to shed more tears.

"It's about your sister isn't it? That's why Bailey gets picked on and what Corey says to you?" Jared spoke quietly like he was scared to intrude and as he said it my stomach dropped but my head nodded at him. He was right, I knew he probably knew about Sophie but he never said anything.

"Hmm most people stopped talking about it to me a few years back but Corey just seems to love getting to me. But Bailey...I mean she was one when it happened she doesn't know anything really and they still go on at her. It's hard. I feel like it's my fault she's going through it. Things would have been different if I hadn't been a coward, if I had done things differently back then" And so it started, everything began slipping out as my body relaxed against Jared's warmth and I felt so comfortable and safe with him that I could tell him anything and it wouldn't change a thing.

I wasn't looking at him but I could see him shaking his head next to me, his breathing was loud and rough like he was struggling with something. "It's not your fault Kim. I only know what I was told by my parents about what happened but you were only 8, it wasn't your fault Kim and what's happening to Bailey isn't either. It's just kids being nasty, they'll grow bored soon" He was being nice, his voice trying to soothe me but the words my counsellors and the police told me over and over again all those years ago still had no impact. It was my fault. Everything was my fault.

"That's what they all say. But it is, I could have changed things but I was just such a coward" I went on again and again Jared shook his head at me but this time he was more determined. I could feel myself getting angrier, not at him but at myself. I was an idiot. "You don't understand Jared, you don't understand what I did, what happened or what I should have done" My voice cracked to a whisper, fading out as I struggled to speak against the grief tearing at my chest.

"You couldn't have done anything Kim you were 8. You were a kid, you didn't know what happened, you were just a kid" He tried arguing with me but he was wrong. I knew what happened, I just never told anyone. I remembered everything about that night but I kept my mouth shut through pure stupidity. "Kim" Jared went on, his voice slowing to sort of realisation like he was hearing my thoughts and knew that I had lied about everything back then.

Tears flooded to my eyes making them sting and blur over again and shook my head back down into my lap.

"Kim you can tell me anything" Jared went on and I let myself fade back to that night, the cold misty winter's night that ruined everything.

_The nonstop eruption of exploding glass followed me as I pounded my way through the dark house, my small feet hammering against the cold carpet, it burned with ferocity as I forced my tired and weak legs further down the stairs and across the hallway. My sister's pants followed me; her heavier hammers against the floor letting me know she was still with me. A harsh rip sounded behind me, a scream of pain clawed at my ears and I slowed in my run. _

"_SOPHIE" I screamed, my small voice full of unshed fear filled sobs, I turned to look but her own yell stopped me. _

"_Run Kim run" The harsh scream of my sister rang out through the dark night, her squeals of resistance echoing over the empty house and I turned to grab a look at her, the last look I would have. The dark man that had haunted our bedroom was grabbing at her, pulling her away from me and her pleading eyes told me to run. I did as I was told, running harder toward the front door and I flung it open, my small bare feet leaping across the concrete driveway. As I ran out into the dark night sky the final pained cry of my sister tore at me as the blinding flash of headlights came hurdling toward me. _

My body jolted and I turned to look back at Jared who was waiting for me to do or say something. "My parents had split up a couple months before it happened. My dad was living in Port Angeles in a little apartment and my mom kept our house, they were meeting up that night to discuss custody of us and because Bailey was so young they took her with them but I was 8 and Sophie was 14 so they let us stay home. I remember that night, it was foggy and there was a storm so bad that the power went out. Everything was ok though, the doors were locked, the windows were shut, we had been left thousands of times before and it had always been ok" I stopped and took in the look on Jared's face, he wasn't interested as such, he was just listening, hanging onto my every word like it was full of importance.

"Anyway, we shared a bedroom, we had bunk beds. I had the bottom and she had the top. We went to bed but I couldn't sleep because of the wind, it was howling unlike I had ever heard it before and it was scaring me. I remember being led there thinking about my favourite things to keep me happy, thinking about my toys and my parents then our window blew open and smashed, Sophie screamed above me as she woke up but I kept quiet, I remember feeling a need to keep quiet. Sophie climbed down off the top bed she bent in to my bed where I was now curled in the corner hiding and she told me it was ok that it was just the wind but then there was something else, someone was behind her a man. He grabbed for her" I stopped, my throat closing over as I spoke the truth that had never been spoken before. I had never told anyone this and my whole body was shaking, freaking out like I couldn't go on but as my fear built up Jared's hand slipped out and cupped around mine. His warmth ran through me, tingling up my arm and causing my fear to bite back down. I could do this. Tears were streaming down my face but my sobs were a minimum.

"She started fighting him but it wasn't working, she ran from the room and he followed not paying any attention to me I could hear her screaming and yelling and it went quiet, then she came back. She pulled me from my bed and told me we needed to run so we did, he hadn't seen me yet so she wanted to get me out. We were running down the stairs, all these smashes were exploding around us. Windows smashed as we ran past them for no reason, it was horrible. She let go of my hand, I stopped to get her but she screamed for me to run and I did...I could hear her screaming, I could hear her crying but I just kept running. I ran out into the street, it was so foggy I couldn't see anything until the headlights were in front of me, the car swerved at the last minute but by the time the driver got out and to me the screaming in the house had stopped and by the time I told him that there was a man in the house and he checked the house she was gone" I finished, my chest tightening in pain, my heart hammering and my body shaking from the horrid memories I tried so hard to forget. My voice was dazed, as if I were high on drugs or about to pass out but Jared's hand tightened around mine and he pulled me closer to his warm body offering me a closeness my body so craved.

"Kim" He started but I shook my head at him.

"I know what you're going to say but you still don't understand Jared. I told everyone I didn't know what happened, when the police asked me for details I said I was asleep, that when I woke up Sophie was gone already. I lied to them; I lied to my family because I was a stupid little kid. If I had said something sooner then they could have found her. None of this would have happened, Bailey would have a whole family not a broken one with nothing" And the hysterical sobs started again, I wasn't making sense and I felt bad for him, he didn't need this, he was probably bored already.

"No Kim I understand, I understand that you were a child who saw something horrific. Anyone in your position would have done the same thing but you can't know that if you had said something it would have been different. No one knows that, nothing that's happened to your family is your fault you were a child" His voice was defiant, firm and confident although the look in his eyes was sad, not pitiful but sad. But he really didn't understand what I had done. I hadn't told the police the truth but they had pushed me and pushed me, I had tried to tell them but it went wrong. Corey knew what I had done, a lot of people knew but it was something people kept quiet about.

"I tried to tell them Jared. But I messed it up. I did something worse than lying about what happened. That's what Corey knows, he made comments about it. How could I have done it to my own dad?" I sobbed back into my lap and Jared's hand came to smooth over my head but he didn't say anything, he just waited for me to say it in my own time and for that I was appreciative. "A few months after it happened the police were desperate so they searched through my stuff and found a picture I had drawn. I drew it for myself; it was a picture of me in bed and the man behind Sophie grabbing her"

I looked up at Jared and saw him frowning, I knew why. At the time I didn't understand why a picture was so important but I understood shortly after they took my dad away. "My dad's white, my mom was Quileute and she met my dad when she went to college. The picture was a white man Jared, with dark hair. The police assumed that it was my dad because we lived on a Native reservation. They arrested him for it, said he had a motive because of the custody issues. My mom had left dinner with him early that night after getting into a fight with him over when he could have us and she drove to her friend's house. He had no alibi for after she left. He was arrested for it, spent time in custody while they prepared to charge him. But it wasn't him and no matter how many times I tried to tell them they wouldn't believe me because I couldn't tell them who it was or I couldn't describe to them who it was but I was scared, so scared that I couldn't tell them."

"But he was let go" Jared stated and I nodded at him sitting upright again and his hand fell back to mine offering the warm comfort again.

"Yeah only after another girl went missing. In Port Angeles, the same thing happened, broken windows, no evidence, no trace, nothing. Her family was killed as well though. My dad was in custody at that point and the police linked the Sophie kidnapping to a few others happening around Seattle, dad got released on lack of evidence but he was never the same. People talked about him, looked at him like he was guilty and he started drinking. He moved back home but they fought every single day, my mom was depressed and lonely, she couldn't handle losing Sophie. I think part of her blamed my dad and herself for not being here, part of her blamed me for keeping what happened secret. She could never really look at me after it happened, she stopped cuddling me, stopped telling me she loved me. Until one day a little while after we left the house it happened in, she got worse and she killed herself. She couldn't handle not knowing the truth, she screamed at me before she did it telling me that I had killed Sophie by not telling anyone, my dad and her got into it, he was sticking up for me telling her to back off and he took Bailey and me out to the beach when we got home she was gone. Dad completely lost it then, he drank more and worked less, everything just got worse." I finished and Jared pulled me in to hug him, his hug was long and lasting, firm and needy. It filled my body with such a warm feeling I didn't want to pull away but I did, I needed to wipe my stinging eyes.

"I'm sorry Kim" He soothed as he held me close to his side but I just shook my head. I still blamed myself for it all, my mom killing herself, my sister not being found, my dad drinking more. Everything was screwed up because I lied.

"You know what sucks the most?" I asked and gave a snort of hysterical laughter as the thought entered my head. "I saw exactly what he looked like. I could have described him down to the colour of his shoes. I was always a kid who concentrated on people; I still know what he looked like. I still see him. If I had said something then something would have changed"

Jared moved so he was looking down on my face, he seemed a little tense this time, more curious than he had been before. "Kim, you can still tell them, it's not too late to tell someone" He went on and I nodded, I knew that. I mean it was probably unlikely to help it had been 9 years part of me knew she was most likely dead.

"He was pale, like in my picture. His skin was deathly pale it shone against the darkness of the night. His body was big, hard looking, her hits against him did nothing he didn't even flinch. But it was his eyes that got me the most, his eyes still terrify me" I stopped as a fear filled shudder ran over my spine at the thought of those eyes. Jared tensed again, his body falling rigid against mine.

"His eyes?" His voice cracked slightly, like he was scared of my answer. I just nodded.

"They were red, blood red" Before I even finished what I was say Jared moved harshly from me, his face turning pale and his eyes growing wide. I know what he thought, I sounded crazy because no one had blood red eyes.

"I umm crap" Jared mumbled as he flew to his feet, he gave me one last look before running off toward the woods, the opposite direction of his car. He just kept running.

My heart clenched tight shooting pain through my entire body. He had just left. I told him everything, I told him stuff I never told anyone and he just left. He used me. I was right all along he was using me to find out what happened. My body went numb from the pain that was ripping in my chest, new fresh tears streaming through my eyes as hard sobs escaped my throat. He just got up and left when I told him everything, when I sat and cried to him. I had let myself trust Jared Cameron and he just did the one thing I didn't think he would do.

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_**Dun dun dunnnnnnn**_

_**Hope this clears everything up and now its out in the open let the story begin properly :D xx leave a review xxx**_


	8. Chapter 8

I tucked myself further into my huge hooded jumper, trying to cover my face in the warm material wishing I was still in my bed cowering there. I couldn't even master a smile at Rachel as I dropped Bailey off, she seemed to know something was wrong there was a strange look in her eyes like pity but worse, like knowing pity. Bailey knew it too, I had had to walk back to school after Jared left me and by the time I made it back I was tired and wet from the drizzling rain, I didn't take her to the beach nor did I talk to her at all. She knew something had happened but she didn't ask either, she knew when to leave me alone and when to question me and right now was a leave me alone moment. I felt betrayed, used, broken, hurt, angry and just like crap. I had cried the whole way back to school and this morning as I showered I cried harder beneath the cold water.

I clutched my stomach as I walked through the crowded hallway of school, keeping my head low hoping I would avoid the two guys I would do anything to avoid. Corey and Jared, they were both as bad as each other. Corey liked to openly taunt me while Jared hurt me so much worse, he twisted my feelings, made me think he cared for me then used me and dropped me just like that.

"Kim" A male voice called out as I put my unwanted books into my locker and my stomach dropped to my feet as I recognised the tone of huskiness there. Jared. I turned not to look at him but to walk away but I couldn't because he was stood directly in front of me blocking my way. His friends stood behind him watching with wary looks on their faces; like they expected me to slap him or something which I had contemplated, but I had no idea why they would be looking at me like that after all this was probably their plan to. "Kim I need to speak to you" Jared called again and I dropped my look from his friends to him, his face fell as he looked back at me, I was trying to look blank but I could feel the hurt coming from my eyes, I was crap at hiding emotions. He stood still in front of me, no longer saying my name and I reached back into my locker to take his jumper out that he had leant to Bailey and held it out for him but he didn't take it from me.

"Kim" He whispered this time and I shook my head at him not wanting to hear an excuse or a taunt or whatever he was going to throw at me. "I really really need to talk to you" He finally spoke again but my body just felt like crumbling to the floor, anything but talk to him, I had talked to him, I had told him everything and he left me there all alone so he could shove it.

"We did talk and then you left, so I have nothing more to say to you. Thank you for lending Bailey your jumper" My voice shook but I tried so hard to keep it even, I watched as his eyes shut slowly and reopened a strange look of fear in them while his friends all shuffled around awkwardly behind him.

"I don't want it back Kim. I just need to explain, I didn't mean to I just" He stopped obviously unable to find an excuse and I reached my point, unable to listen anymore or be anywhere near him I shoved the jumper in his chest and walked around him, pushing my way through his three friends and storming toward my class. All I wanted to do was cry but I couldn't, I wouldn't cry over him anymore, I had spent all morning and night crying because he walked away and I refused to do so anymore. At least I would try damned hard not to but I felt like my heart was breaking in two as I walked from him. Today was going to suck.

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I sat with my head near enough led on my desk through Chemistry, Jared had wisely chose to sit away from me but I still felt like I couldn't be this close to him so I kept my head low and my eyes away from his. I didn't know why this was so damned hard, I barely knew him yet I felt like I had just lost a best friend. I had been stupid, I had let myself fall more for him but I wouldn't do that again. I wouldn't fall for anyone again, especially not Jared Cameron because all people did was hurt you and use you.

"Ok so I expect the work in for Friday, no excuses" Our teacher called out right as the bell went signalling the end of the day and I grabbed my stuff and left the room before I had even packed my books away. I needed to get out of here. This was living hell. I had walked around all day worrying that at any minute everything would get out, that he would turn around and tell everyone what I had told him. It still hadn't come but there was still time, I had two months left of school and any one of those days he could decide to screw everything up.

I hurried down the hallway as people filed out of the classrooms still keeping my head down, I had also managed to escape Corey due to the fact he was out sick today but I was certain once he was back it would all kick up again. Even worse when he found out what Jared knew.

I ran through the front door, well aware of the footsteps behind me, it could have been anyone on their way home but I felt like it was Jared. I got half way across the parking lot when the hot hands came down on my upper arm and pulled me around. Sure enough it was Jared.

"Kim please let me explain" He begged and although his voice was leaking in desperation I couldn't help but feel bitter as the hurt raged in my stomach.

"Explain what? That you used me?" My voice shook as the lump grew in my throat and Jared's shoulders slumped, his eyes becoming watery as he watched me back away from him.

"No no no I didn't use you Kim, I promise it's not what it looks like" He begged again and I shook my head in disbelief, he couldn't expect me to forgive him for being a prick like that.

"What so it wasn't you playing with me? Getting close to learn about the shit that happened when we were kids? Because to me it looks like you spent a hell of a lot of time getting close to me just to suddenly appear at the exact moment Corey makes me lose it. A little suspicious don't you think Jared?" My voice was rising in confidence as my eyes scanned over him, the rage in me knocked down the butterflies he gave me and as he reached for me again I backed away. I never swore, the S word felt strange leaving my lips but I couldn't help it, he wound me up.

"I didn't use you, I wouldn't Kim" He started but stopped again, his whole body crouching over as he realised he wouldn't make this better by lying more. He had been an asshole.

"Well you did Jared. So just back off and leave me and my sister alone" I turned to walk away ignoring as he mumbled my name again and instead I focused on making my way toward the little girl stood waiting for me with Rachel, they were both looking at me with such sad expressions. My body began shaking as the reality of what I just did hit me, I stood up for myself, I cursed at him and told him exactly what I felt. I never did that. I never once did that. Oh crap.

"Kimmy are you ok you look sad?" Bailey asked me in her sweetest voice possible as I reached her, I nodded despite knowing that my eyes were beginning to water as they blurred and stung.

"Lets go" I spoke briefly knowing my voice would fail if I tried saying much more but as I turned to leave Rachel stood forward so I stopped to look up at her and my lips began trembling with the tears that were desperate to escape.

"Guys are stupid Kim. So stupid that sometimes they don't realise what they've done until it's too late. Don't cut him out of your life just yet, you might be surprised if you let him explain" At first I thought she was helping me but I realised she was just being a loyal friend to him, I was sure she wasn't following girl code. I mean we weren't friends but she saw us arguing obviously so surely she should have offered support and at least called him an asshole not tell me to listen to him. Jesus Christ it was like Jared had everyone wrapped around his little finger in this place, probably something to do with the fact he was a precious Sam Uley follower. Eurgh I felt sick from these bitter thoughts, I was never this mean about people it was beginning to make me feel ill.

I couldn't do much back to Rachel so I just nodded and turned around to walk after Bailey, Jared was still stood where I left him but he made no effort to talk to me as I walked past, he just followed me with his eyes as I stormed back dragging Bailey with me. I didn't stop until I reached the car where I threw myself in and started the car, slamming it into reverse before speeding from the car park.

We were both silent as I sped down the short road to my house, Bailey was sat awkwardly twiddling with her fingers and I knew I should ask if anything happened at school but I couldn't, if I spoke I would cry. I pulled up to the house, the grass outside even more overgrown than it was the other day. I got out and continued to sulk my way to the front door, ignoring the comment that the old lady next door aimed at me about the state of the house I just slammed the door shut behind us as we walked in. I stopped at the kitchen door, leaning against the door frame as Bailey walked past me to the stairs. She stopped at the bottom and turned to look at me, smiling lightly.

"I never liked him anyway" She said sweetly offering me the reaction you expected from a friend or your mom when you broke up with someone. I laughed lightly and she continued to walk upstairs, she had meant well but all I could think was that I had liked him, more than I should have. My heart hurt again and the tears were no longer able to hold themselves off and so they came streaming down my cheeks as I slid down the door frame to the cold wooden floor beneath me, cradling myself with my knees I let myself cry for the 100th time in the past 24 hours. And this is why I will never make the mistake of falling for someone again.

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**Sorry it's short but it's something :D leave a review! :D Also I have a Leah/Embry story up called Run baby, Run. Its rated M for language and maybe future things but check it out if you don't mind that stuff it should be good hopefully hehe :D xx**


	9. Chapter 9

**You asked for Jared's pov so here it is, forgive me if it sucks I'm not too confident on writing as a male :D thanks for all the reviews and follows and reading etc :D I have a new Leah/Embry story up called Run baby run so be sure to check it out if you like Callwater fics :D xxx**

**Karu and Mad dog 12, you two make me laugh so damned much, I love your reviews and that your friends and fangirl over my stories hahaaha although I should be telling you to concentrate in class not read my stories but I suppose I love it :D I like that song and as always Ill work it in somewhere for you both ;) Keep the ideas coming and of course the amazing reviews because you two brighten my day! Xxx**

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**Jared point of view**

Crap. I knew it. I felt it. The more she spoke, the more she described it I knew something was wrong. Then she said it, the sentence that confirmed it all. Red eyes. Vampire. Her sister was taken by a god damned vampire.

"What?" A voice barked through my head and I realised Paul was phased. I hadn't been able to contain myself, the minute she said it I just snapped, the tears that fell down her face stirred something in me, I needed to protect her, I needed to save her. She wasn't at danger but I needed to do something, she was killing herself over her sister going missing, she blamed herself, she trusted no one, she barely had a real family and it was all because of a damned vampire. I couldn't handle it, I couldn't stay there I needed to get to Sam.

"So you left her?" Paul spoke up again his voice confused and slow and I internally sent him a nod. I needed Sam. I couldn't handle it, I couldn't handle seeing her so cut up over a freaking vampire. She was the way she was because of a leech.

"So you left her?" Paul said again in exactly the same way as before and again I nodded at him as my feet pounded toward Sam's house. What was his problem? Obviously I had left because I was here. "Dude you can be such a douche. I think that beats my record of shitty things to do to your imprint and I've been pretty shitty to Rachel in the past" He chimed at me but I didn't pay attention, it was just Paul. He didn't understand I had to get to Sam. I saw the house and phased instantly as I ran into the yard, grabbing a pair of shorts that Emily left out for us I pulled them on and ran to the house.

I didn't even knock, I just ran in to find Emily and Sam making out against the kitchen counter. They were fully clothed but that didn't bother me I just slammed the door on my way in making them jump a mile apart. Emily was flushed while Sam looked pissed.

"Jared" He growled but I just carried on toward him, stopping only when I reached the opposite side of the kitchen counter.

"It was a leech" I declared, my breath was actually struggled as I spoke the words but both Sam and Emily just stared at me like I was crazy. "Kim's sister. Sophie, she got taken by a leech"

Again neither of them said anything just stared and so I delved into the basics, that she had seen the man and how she had described him. When I finished Sam was sort of glaring at me while Emily looked physically ready to hit me.

"So you left her?" Sam said just as Paul had, the same confused and slightly shocked tone to his low voice. I nodded, still not understanding the big deal here.

"You got up and left her? Sat on a beach, crying and alone?" Sam said again this time elaborating on the problem, I nodded again but still it didn't really sink in what the problem was.

"You prick" Emily suddenly shouted at me and darted her way around Sam to launch a punch into my already heaving chest, she didn't hurt me but the action made me startle enough. She never got angry. "You absolute prick. Are you that stupid you can't see what you did?" She screamed again and went to hit me but Sam pulled her back at the last minute. I just stared at her a little surprised at her outburst, she was actually shaking from anger.

"Kim. Kim the girl you said doesn't ever talk about herself? She finally opens up to you, you finally get through to her and you walk away right when she tells you the biggest secret of her whole life? Jared Cameron you asshole. She's probably distraught, she doesn't trust people but she trusted you with that and you walked away from her honest to god you men are so stupid sometimes" Emily near enough screamed at me and it suddenly dawned on me. I had walked away. Holy shit. I just walked away. Kim. Oh crap Kim.

I turned without another word, launching myself down the front steps and phasing before I even reached the grass below.

"Idiot" Paul sniped as I phased in and ran my hardest back toward the beach. I couldn't even fight back because I was too worried about Kim. I had freaking just left her there. "Told you. Douche." Paul sniped again and again I ignored it. I was screwed.

I pounded through the trees, the sea air hitting me as they thinned and my eyes met the beach. The empty beach. My truck was still parked up but the area where the logs were and where Kim should be was empty. She was gone.

"Well what did you expect? That she would be sat waiting for you to return. You were a dickhead man" Paul offered his unwanted opinion again and I sank to my belly, my insides clenching from the pain I had caused Kim. She would never trust me again. What have I done?

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I ran through the school halls being able to smell her but not see her, her soft sweet scent flowing through the crowds pulling at me in a desperation to get to her. The guys were following me, making sure they followed Emily and Rachel's orders not to let me do anything stupid. I knew I wouldn't, I refused to hurt to anymore.

As I barged through a group of girls I saw her, she was by her locker her body drowned in a jumper that she seemed to be trying to hide in and I could hear the slow beating of her heart, the soft breathes she was taking as she closed the locker behind herself. I couldn't help but call out her name and she turned, her eyes finding mine but they didn't light up the way they had done over the past few days, she just looked hurt and scared as she stared at me. The look sent pain waves through my whole body and I fought back the urge to phase.

Knowing you hurt your imprint felt like crap. Knowing I had caused the tears that made her eyes slightly puffy killed me and I wanted nothing more than to grab her into my arms and run away with her but I couldn't. All I could do was stand here and try begging for forgiveness. She had none of it though, even my words sounded pathetic to my own ears and before I could stop her my jacket that I had leant to Bailey the other day came slamming into my chest and a flood of her fruit shampoo washed over me as she stormed past, even the smell of her couldn't lift the feeling that was sitting in my stomach. I had screwed this up.

I was an asshole, an idiot, a prick, everything the two girls had called me at dinner last night was true. I was worse than Paul and that was saying something because when Paul and Rachel first got interested in one another he had screwed things up so regularly that for a while we all actually thought it impossible that he had imprinted, at one point he called Rachel a slut, he hadn't meant to he just genuinely wanted to know how many guys she had been with so he could stop internally destroying himself over the anger of people touching her. She hadn't spoken to him for a week after it but this was worse than I remember him feeling. This was me betraying her, she thought I used her, she thought I was going to tell everyone about what I found out when I wasn't. I wanted to make it all better, when I found out it was a vampire I felt like I could and I hadn't meant to run but I was so desperate to get to my alpha I had lost control of my actions.

As I turned back to where she had walked I was met with my three pack brothers, each of them staring at me in a way that read 'you dickhead'. They barely knew Kim but she was an imprint, part of the pack and we protect our own and so far every one of the guys had bitched me out for what I did to her even if they had never met her before. I appreciated that they cared but damn they made me feel worse.

"Asswipe" Quil coughed as I fell into a slouched walk beside him and the other two sniggered in agreement, I couldn't even find a comeback, I just took the insult and walked away.

"He's good at walking away isn't he?" Jacob made a comment behind me and my heart dropped in my chest causing me to feel sick.

"Almost an expert" Embry offered up now unable to not give his own little swipe and again I had nothing to reply with so I just carried on walking away from them, my stomach churning as I fought back the phase that was desperate to come out.

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She ignored me all day. Even in class she refused to meet my stare and she ran from the room before the bell even finished ringing at the end of the day. I left my stuff where it was to chase her and I ran so hard through the school hallway that I felt I would take off any second. She still wouldn't listen to me. As she near enough yelled at me in the car park I heard the pain in her voice, the betrayal and emotion. I had hurt her so damn bad. I just watched as she walked from me, the same pain she had probably felt when I walked from her screamed in my chest and she refused to even look at me as she and Bailey walked back to her car. I felt like shit. I felt useless. I failed, I am supposed to support her, protect her, be there for whatever she needs and I just freaking ran from her.

I left my car at school and phased to run after her, I followed her all the way to a dingy little street off the main road. Her house was at the end, I watched as she walked in, her body slouched and fragile. Her house was old, run down, unloving. I wanted to rip her from there; it looked so lonely and sad. As the front door swung shut the sound I never wanted to hear again ripped through the sky. Her cries. She was crying, she was crying because of me. I had made her cry, I had made her hurt. I hadn't even realised I was doing it. I failed; I could never be a good wolf to her if I couldn't even last a week without making her cry.

I had no idea how to fix this but I had to try. I needed to do something and so I ran back to school, phasing last minute by my truck and hopping in completely naked. There were some old clothes in the back, a pair of old jogging bottoms and a top but I chucked it on all the same before speeding my way onto the main road and toward the house I had just left. I was determined to get her back. I wouldn't let her think I used her.

I pulled up lazily on the street side, my car parked so stupidly I was sure someone would hit me but I didn't care. I ran down the path that was overshadowed in weeds and grass that obviously hadn't been cut in a while and I saw an old woman staring at me through the next door houses window, her beady eyes following me as I made my way to the old scraped front door. I smelt her instantly, her smell washing over me, calling to me but I smelt something else, an over powering smell that made me want to gag, it was like alcohol. Whiskey maybe, and vomit, definitely vomit.

My hand shot up to knock the door and I heard soft footsteps within seconds on the other side. The door creaked open and Bailey's face popped out, her eyes travelling over me before giving me a look so full of attitude she looked like a teenager, she was sizing me up, unimpressed by my arrival on her doorstep but she stepped back anyway to open the door wider.

"You stay there" She pointed at me but turned back and walked down the dark hallway that seemed to be missing any sort of light, there was no windows or lamps on and even as if was light outside the house just seemed glum. The smell of whiskey hit me stronger this time and I could tell it was radiating from inside the house, it was disgustingly strong. Bailey disappeared through a door and I heard muffled voices and shifting footing before the door reopened and Kim stepped out, her whole body seemed to be stressed out and trembling, she was in long baggy pyjama bottoms and a cropped white top that hung off one shoulder while revealing her slim tanned stomach, she was skinny I still stood by that but she wasn't bones and skin, she was healthy but still slightly to slim. I let my eyes meet hers and the same broken look from earlier tore through me, I had to lean against the door to stop myself stumbling from the ferocity of it.

"Kim" I started but she narrowed her eyes at me and hurried to the door shutting it so that only half of her body was visible to me. She was trying to hide something, the house maybe? "Kim" I said again unsure of what I was actually going to say and she huffed irritated by my presence. I had to say I was sort of surprised by the force she had used with me today, she was definitely not shy little Kimmie when she was like she was today, she had snapped at me in ways only someone as confident as Rachel had done.

"What Jared? Not got enough dirt on me you need to come here for some more?" She wasn't as snappy, more put off and slightly nervous but her words still stung at me as if she were screaming them. It hurt being likes this, I was getting through to her and bam I screwed it all up.

I shook my head desperately, my body shivering from the simple idea that she could ever think I would do that to her, I couldn't if I tried, I cared for her to much to ever want to hurt her in the way she thought I was. "No I just needed to see you, to explain that I never used you, I really do like you Kim. What I did was shitty and I'm sorry but" She cut me off with a sigh, she didn't believe me, her eyes were darting over my face trying to find something but as I locked mine on hers she dropped her head completely. Her heart wasn't racing but beating out of sync a mixture of nerves.

"Ok Jared whatever. You can stop the act now. I'm used to this, people trying to get information from me it's nothing new so just go do what you want and stop trying to apologise because I don't care" She whispered like she was trying to make herself believe her own words. I could tell she cared; she was just trying not to whereas I was trying not to explode into a wolf as her words sparked anger. I hadn't used her, nor would I ever do anything to try getting information on her life. Sick bastards. I would kill whoever had tried, they were assholes, Corey was an asshole.

"Kim please you have to believe me" I begged again my body jerking forward in an attempt to hold onto her little tiny body which seemed so delicate stood shaking in front of me but as I fell forward she shut the door more to block my way. I could just about make out her face but her body was covered. I scared her, she hated me.

"I don't have to do anything Jared. Just leave me alone. Don't come here again and leave Bailey alone she goes through enough already" Her voice broke as she spoke about Bailey and the door slammed in my face before I could get another word out, with it came a breeze of fresh vomit and beer that mixed with the whiskey, as I listened I could hear three heartbeats inside, one much slower and strained and I turned to see a truck parked next to Kim's car. Her dad was obviously here. Not that I knew much about the guy but what she said yesterday mixed with the smells coming from the house I knew he had problems and I didn't like that she was put through this, she was living in this house which was run down and old, unloved, that obviously didn't hold a family just broken people. And she lived with a man who had forgotten he had two girls left who needed him. I had to do something. I had to fix this.

I ran back to my truck, my eyes glancing one last time over the house behind me where I saw Bailey stood in an upstairs window staring at me, the expression on her little face unreadable. I took another look before climbing into the driver's side and screeching from the road. I needed to go there, the place it all happened. If a vampire was there then there would be clues the police wouldn't have picked up, it had been so long but there had to be something, a smell, a piece of his clothing, something. There had to be something. I had to do something because I couldn't lose Kim.

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**Leave a review :D xx**


	10. Chapter 10

**A majorly long chapter for you all. Hope you like it, I'm kicking things up a little to get it moving :D xx**

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It had been four days since I last saw him, or anyone for that matter. I took myself off school and Bailey. I was too scared I would walk in one day to find it spread all over the hallways, people talking about it again, people telling me how it was all my fault like I needed to be reminded.

But today my dad did the first fatherly thing he had done in years and soberly told me I had to go to school, that Bailey had to go to school and he refused point blank to ring us in as sick again. I thought for a second he had decided to change his ways but the minute he got off the phone to the school telling them to expect us both in he grabbed a can from the fridge and locked his door on us. Nothing changed he just wanted us out of the house. Although it was Friday so I didn't see the point in going in for one day.

I was scared, my hands shook the whole way to school, my stomach churned and twisted and was only made worse when the minute I pulled up my eyes fell on Jared stood with his friends, all of them looking right at me as I got Bailey out of the car and marched her toward where Rachel was waiting. I said nothing to Rachel, I normally would be polite but she was Jared's friend and she probably knew everything by now and so I could barely look her in the eye I just handed Bailey over and turned away. I only had a couple months left at school but man it was dragging. It felt like I had an eternity left, an eternity before I like my dad could hide away from people and be a coward. I once told myself I wouldn't be like him but having Jared know everything, every little detail made me want to be him, made me want to be the man who curled up in his room and cried over things that could never be changed.

I walked through the crowds in the parking lot and straight to the front doors but before I reached them the voice that was haunting my ears recently called out. I tried ignoring him but there was a tone to his voice as he shouted my name that was almost pleading with me to turn around and so I did, he was closer than I expected and in seconds he closed the gap to stop directly in front of me so close that he could touch me if he held his arm out a few centimetres.

"Kim your back" He was breathy and he looked tired as hell, all I did was nod, trust him to be the only one to notice I was gone. "I was worried"

"I was ill, no big deal" I shrugged it off but my stomach clenched tighter at the genuine concern in his voice that agreed with his words. He was a good liar I would give him that, he could win Oscars with how he acted. He nodded but his eyes were sad and despite myself I longed for them to be happy again. This is why I didn't want to come back, to see him, to be here because no matter how much I tried to hate him his stupid ways made me fall back slightly. A big part of me was trying to believe I was the one who got his actions wrong, I had spent hours going over what happened trying to find something that signalled I was the one who got this all wrong and that he did really care but nothing came up. The simple fact of it was that he twisted me around his little finger, made me feel safe and cared for and then ran once he found out what I had tried so hard to keep secret.

"Will you meet me after school? I want to explain some things to you Kim" He was whispering and I looked past him to see his ever present friends lingering at the bottom of the steps all rigid like they were prepared to pounce at him at any second.

"No Jared, I just want you to leave me alone" I tore my look from them to him again, my inner fight being won by the side of me trying to hate him.

"Please don't say that Kim, I can explain everything, I'm not going to tell anyone" He begged again, his voice cracking in what the part of me that was still fighting for him took as truth but the more dominate hate overpowered that part again.

"I don't trust you. Now leave me alone" I hissed this time as the words tried to stay in my throat, something felt like it was trying to stop me from speaking the words anymore, I felt like a broken record like I had said nothing but those words since he left me at the beach.

"Have I told anyone yet Kim? Have I? It's been a week and I haven't told anyone because I'm not going to, I made a mistake leaving but I didn't leave because I was using you, if you let me explain" He moved closer to me and I moved back. It hurt listening to this, I wanted to curl up and cry because from what I could see he hadn't told anyone but that wasn't the point.

"I need to go" Was all I could say and before he could reach out to take me I dodged through the crowd of people and made my way to class, all alone again because as usual I let myself trust someone and it blew back in my face.

The morning was painfully slow, it was just painful in general. Everywhere I looked he was there, just watching me with that sad look in his brown eyes that caused a pain in my chest that nearly crippled me. Jared Cameron was going to be trouble I could sense it.

Lunch had been lonely, I sat at the table I normally sat at with Jared but I was alone. Jared wasn't even there, his friends were and each of them spent the majority of the time watching me until ten minutes before the bell rang they upped and left in a run as if the building was on fire. They were strange. Everything was strange. On the plus side Corey Blackmore said nothing to me, he looked like he wanted to for one minute when I bumped into him in science class after lunch but he glanced over my shoulder and ran off like a scared little boy. I had followed his gaze to see Jared glaring at him.

It was just never ending with him, wherever I went he was there, whatever I tried thinking about thoughts of him overtook it and my heart was hurting more from being so close to him than what it had when I was at home. Part of me just wanted to quit school, I wasn't going to college because of Bailey so I didn't even need to be here, I could get a job easily enough in the local diner. But that's not what I wanted, I wanted more than that and so I sat quietly trying desperately to ignore the pain that was eating at me as I felt Jared's eyes burning onto me.

The end of the day couldn't come fast enough, I ran as hard as I could to get to Bailey but to my surprise she was already walking out of class with her classmates rather than Rachel, in fact Rachel wasn't even out here with her. She had a smile on her face and actually waved goodbye to another girl as she approached me to which the girl waved back and smiled. What?

"Hi Kimmy" She called out and near enough bounced to where I was stood. She didn't stop she just bounced on past me to where my car was and I followed her in confusion.

"Why are you happy?" I asked and she shot me an insulted look as she chucked her stuff in the boot.

"You know I was wrong the other day, I do like him" She just confused me even more and I felt myself frowning at her. She turned to look over the car park and her eyes rested on a spot where I had trained my eyes not to look. She was looking at Jared. "He came at lunch with his big friends and he told them to leave me alone otherwise they would have to answer to him. I was upset and people were saying things and all of a sudden he was there, then he sat with me after and gave me a chocolate bar to cheer me up. I like his friend Quil, he's funny" She explained and my heart hammered harshly in my chest while my stomach dropped from both anger at the fact he had ignored my warning on leaving me and Bailey alone and also in flutters at the fact he cared enough to do that for her.

My eyes trailed over the car park as she hopped into the car and my stare was met with his, he was sat in his truck just watching me, the fiery intensity of his eyes making my breath get trapped all over again. He had stuck up for her; he hadn't told them all what he knew he had stopped them upsetting her. But before I could feel myself lightening up the anger bit at me, I couldn't deal with all this, it was all too confusing and all I wanted was for Jared to get out of my life and stay out.

I tore my eyes from his and climbed in, I didn't say a word to Bailey I just pulled out but I noticed the happy smile she gave Jared as we drove past and she settled back happily in her seat to hum along with the radio that was playing dimly.

* * *

I had barely spoke all night, even to Bailey as she chatted away about how Jared had saved her from the people being nasty and how she made a friend because Jared introduced her to his friend Paul's little sister, that was the girl she had waved at. So somehow Jared had gone from being someone she didn't like to someone she practically loved. Opposite for what he was to me, I used to practically love him and now I tried so hard to hate him.

I handed Bailey her lunch and she ran off to the living room to eat while I just stood in the kitchen leaning against the counter unsure of what to do with myself. I couldn't focus on anything but my confused thoughts of Jared. My inner self having continuous battles over what to believe and what to do. I so wanted to turn back the clock and let him give me his explanation but then part of me thought it wouldn't be good enough either way, no one runs off leaving someone they care about crying on a cold beach. But there was still that tugging within me wanting so much to be around him, even if it was just so he could stare at me I missed that feeling of having him near me.

The silence of the house was broken as the front door crashed open, a grunting noise hit my ears as the front table that lay in the hallway came shooting past the kitchen door as if kicked and I knew my dad was home. I stayed put, just waiting for him to stumble into his room but his hand came clutching at the door frame, his bloodshot eyes met mine and my heart dropped as I saw the mix of blood and tears on his cheeks. His nose was bleeding. He got into another fight.

"Dad" I started and went to walk toward him but he pointed his manly finger at me, his eyes glazing over with an anger I hadn't seen from him in so long.

"You. You." Was all he said as he moved toward me and I shuffled back against the counter, my hand fell down trying to grab something behind me but a searing pain scorned at my palm as it went barrelling down on the electric stove ring that I had on just minutes before to heat up Bailey's soup.

"Shit" I screeched and brought my hand back to my chest, the skin red and bubbling already as my skin scolded against the heat, it was throbbing, burning in a pain worse than I had felt before and I tried making my way to the sink for water but dad blocked me. "Dad my hand" I held it up but he smacked it away.

"You. Kim you did this to me. You know I know you do, you never said anything. Why? You were there Kim you have to know something, I need her back, I need my girl back. I need my wife back. I need them all back." He was crying but his voice was full of anger and hatred, he was moving toward me making me shuffle back trying to cradle my burnt hand in my other but it was searing in pain. My eyes watering not from his words of hatred but the pain that rocketed in my hand. I could deal with his words, I had heard them before, he had never directed them at me but I had heard it and felt it before.

"Dad please you're drunk, just go sleep it off" I begged but he shook his head.

"No I'm alone, I'm alone Kim. I need them back; all I want is them here with me. Why don't you understand that? Why don't you do something?" He screamed at me now, his alcohol smothered breath making me gag. Tears fell down my cheeks now, he did blame me, I always thought he had but he was actually saying it to me now.

"Dad please, please stop it" I went to push him back but he grabbed my hand that I had just burned and shoved me away from him, his grip on my burn making it split and scold me even more.

"You should have done something Kimberly" He whispered so harshly my heart felt like it was crumble but it didn't something else kicked back and I stood up straight still cradling my hand to my chest but I didn't back off.

"I was a kid" I spoke through clenched teeth, the words Jared had spoke to me at the beach the day I told him everything came rushing back and part of me believed it. "I was just a kid dad, where were you? You left us there all alone. We needed you and you and mom weren't there. Don't blame this on me, I was a kid. You should have been there" A wave of fresh pain rolled over me as I spoke and the eyes of my father raged in anger again, before I could do anything his huge hand came up slapping me across my face with such force I was sent flying into the table beside me. My good hand dropped my burned one to cradle my aching cheek that I could feel swelling already and I steadied myself against the table before looking back up at my dad who had stumbled backwards against the kitchen counter, his face pale in shock while his eyes were full of regret.

"Kim oh god I'm sorry" He spoke softly now, his voice low and mournful as fresh tears fell down his face.

"Bailey" He whispered this time his eyes moving to the doorway of the kitchen, I followed his eyes to where my tiny little sister stood her own tears falling down her cheeks. My dad made a movement toward her but as he did she broke into a run and darted out the front door, through the kitchen window I saw her sprinting down the street outside.

"I'm sorry Kim please" My dad whispered falling to his knees but I didn't go for him, this was his fault.

"No dad, no. I've made excuses for you for long enough but I won't do it anymore. You lost one daughter but you still have two here that need you" My low voice trembled as tears fell down my aching cheek and my dad lifted his eyes to look at me but dropped them again, enough was enough.

I walked straight past him ignoring his pleas as I grabbed my ankle boots and ran out of the door after Bailey.

My eyes scanned up and down the empty street, she wasn't here, she was a fast runner. I ran in the direction she had and ended up on the small path that led to the cliffs and first beach, it went through the woods and she hated the woods. She wouldn't have come this way but it was the only way off the street this way and it was the way she ran.

"BAILEY" I screamed against the soft breeze but my voice felt like a whisper against the dense trees. "BAILEY COME OUT" I screamed again and again I was met with nothing.

I fell into a run, hopping over fallen tree branches while still screaming her name but there was nothing, no sign of her, no footprints in the slightly wet mud or anything.

"Bailey come on, it's ok he didn't mean it" I begged this time my voice dropping to normal levels as I realised my screaming was getting me nowhere.

I ran harder through the trees and bushes, hopping over tree trunks until they became the rocks of the small cliffs surrounding the beach. I was near the beach, she could have gone there, she loved the beach.

"Please Bailey" I begged as I walked out of the tree line onto the lowest down cliff that lay directly on the beach side. I looked around trying to find something but there was nothing. I edged closer to the cliff edge but there was nothing, if she had gone over. No she wouldn't she knew not to come up here.

My hand lifted to my cheek, the cold air was stinging the burn on my palm and I had yet to look at it properly due to the fact burns made my stomach churn. My cheek where my dad hit me was bruising I could feel it and my lip was split right on the corner, the metallic taste of blood thinned in my mouth and I licked out trying to get the bleeding to stop. I had no idea why he acted like that, he never got that bad. I didn't even know whether to believe he had meant to or not, he looked so guilty when he hit me.

I shuffled through the grassy cliff top as tears stung at my eyes again. This was so screwed up. He hated me, Bailey ran away and the guy I let myself fall for had screwed me up even more. My foot kicked against something as I made my way to the pathway for the beach, my eyes glanced down and my heart hammered to a stop. Bailey's hair bow, she had put a big bow in her hair this morning messing round, it had still been in when she ran. Oh shit. I looked around, I was stood nearly on the edge, she was up here.

"BAILEY" I screamed again but nothing met my scream just the crashing of waves beneath the cliff. No no no. Bailey no.

My feet ran for the pathway that led to the beach, my feet sinking against the sand as I ran harder, the beach was damp and my legs were struggling to run but they ran hard. My cheeks were soaked from my tears at this point, the pain in my face and hand were nothing compared to what lay in my heart. Why was she up there?

I scanned the beach as I ran but there was nothing, in the distance I saw a group of people sat around and chucking things but she wouldn't be over there. My eyes scanned the water but again there was nothing.

"Bailey come on this isn't funny" I mumbled to myself more than anything, my voice was shaking through my tears and my body was tired and hurting. I wanted to collapse but I couldn't because she was out here probably freaking out from what she heard and saw. She was so young it probably freaked her out.

Before I realised I was close to the group of people, I could hear male voices and only a few females if any. I looked over at them, none of them had noticed me yet but I noticed one of them. Jared. Damn it. He was stood next to a big guy, the one who picked Rachel up I think. Damn it. I needed to walk past to get to the other end of the beach but he would run after me. Then my eyes zoned in on a female I knew, Rachel. Rachel, my stomach filled with hope, Rachel would help me. I couldn't look for Bailey alone, I needed help. But then Jared would help too. Crap. A big part of me was telling me to turn around but with Bailey's bow clenched in my good hand I couldn't, I needed help. And so I swallowed the breath that was choking me and pushed my legs toward where Rachel was stood with another woman.

I was pretty close to them when the woman with Rachel looked over and noticed me, I stopped for a second taking in the scars that ran down her face but the shock quickly disaperated as Rachel turned to look at me too. I had never been more scared in my life, approaching a group of overgrown men with blood covering my lip and no doubt my cheek was bruised. I probably looked like I had gone a round with Mike Tyson.

"Kim" Rachel called out and walked toward me, her call made Jared snap around and his eyes found mine, the smile that was on his face dropped to a open mouth gape before he followed Rachel's movement and jerked toward me while his friends just watched. "Kim what's wrong?" Rachel asked again as she reached me but my eyes were completely frozen on Jared and no words left my mouth.

"What happened you to?" He asked before he even reached me and his hand came up to touch my cheek, I flinched and raised my hand instinctively but it was the wrong hand and both he and Rachel noticed my palm, Rachel grabbed for my wrist holding it still while Jared's eyes grew wider. "What happened Kim?"

"Have you seen Bailey?" I said ignoring his questioning, the girl with the scars walked forward now to look at my palm that Rachel was holding. The guys behind them were edging over too and my stomach started churning, this was uncomfortable and awkward.

"She hasn't been here, why what's happened?" Rachel spoke when Jared offered nothing and I shifted my look from him to her, her own face full on confusion and concern. "Kim what's wrong you look distraught?" She asked again and fresh tears fell from my stinging eyes.

"Her hair bow was up by the cliffs, I told her not to go up there I always tell her not to go up there" I mumbled my voice breaking as I spoke and the men behind Rachel all turned to look up by the cliffs before back at me. I was making little sense.

"Kim what's happened? Who did this?" Jared finally spoke signalling to my face and hand, I didn't care about my hand or face all I wanted was to find Bailey.

"She ran away" I said simply and Rachel turned to the guys behind her, the biggest one was watching me with interest. I sort of recognised him but not sure why.

"Why did she run away honey?" The woman with the scars asked this time and I looked at her ready to tell her it was none of her business but she had the kindest face, motherly almost and genuinely caring.

"I got into a fight with my dad, I thought she was in the other room but she saw and she ran away" I told her my voice still quivering and a sound erupted from Jared, almost like a growl an animalistic growl.

"Your dad did this" He was speaking through clenched teeth his eyes signalling toward my injuries and I shook my head, not that he believed me, he just growled again and his hands started shaking.

"Guys" Rachel called out looking back to the men behind her and as if in silent discussion they all nodded and began running off in different directions. "She's ten, she's pretty small, you'll know her when you see her she looks like Kim" Rachel called out after them and they all raised a hand in acknowledgement before sprinting away.

"You don't have to, you were having a picnic" I said too quickly but Rachel shook her head at me.

"No it was more of a meeting and boring as hell" She offered quickly and pulled me toward a blanket that lay on the floor. Jared followed close behind and as I sat down he sat too closely making his legs brush on mine.

"They'll find her don't worry" The girl with the scars offered before her and Rachel walked away from where I sat with Jared. "We'll go check up here" She said to Jared who just nodded and watched as they left. When they were far enough away his warm hands took my wrist and brought it toward his face.

"Kim why didn't you tell me it was this bad at home?" His voice was soft and full of pain, the part of me that still wanted him tore a little bit. He wasn't a bad guy, I wanted to believe that.

"It's not. We have never fought like this before. The burn was my fault I moved back and put my hand out, it fell on the stove he didn't do that" I was quick to respond and Jared's eyes lifted to mine telling me he didn't quite believe me even though it was the truth.

"But he was the reason you fell backwards? And he did that didn't he?" His growl was back as he signalled to my face and I couldn't help but nod at him, it was impossible but to lie to him. A new growl fell from his throat and his hands began shaking again, his eyes shut and he took in long breaths as if calming himself although why he was getting so worked up was beyond me. I was just Kim, he had no reason to, I was the girl who had been friendly with him for a week then that friendship was lost, he shouldn't care this much.

"Everything's going to be ok Kim I promise" Jared whispered and his body moved closer to me as I started crying all over again from the explosion of different emotions within me. Everything seemed to be falling down around me lately. His arm wrapped around my shoulder bringing me in to his side and for a split second everything felt ok, but then reality hit me again and even his embrace wouldn't save me from that reality.

"You can't know that, everything's a mess" My own voice was barely able to leave me but he heard without having to come closer. He just looked at me though, waiting for me to elaborate which I began to even though part of me was fighting not to. "Finding Bailey doesn't fix the fact that my dad's losing his mind. He's never hit me before Jared, he isn't a bad guy he's just lost and I don't know what to do to bring him back. And I don't even know why I'm telling you this because I don't trust you, I'm still mad at you" I finally stopped my verbal eruption and Jared twisted in his place next to me and cupped his hand softly over my bruising cheek. The feel of it didn't hurt it soothed the pain.

"I know you don't trust me Kim but you can, what I did was a stupid mistake but I didn't use you, I think you know that deep down. You know that I wouldn't do that. I promise I can explain everything to you if you let me, if you just give me the time to then you'll understand I promise. I care about you Kim, I like you more you realise I like you and I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, you can trust me Kim because I would never let anything hurt you" He went into his own ramble but before I could really look into his words or reply a call came out behind us, we both turned to see Quil running down the beach toward us waving his arms.

"We got her but she won't come down" He shouted and I sprang to my feet fast that I should have, my body swayed from dizziness but warm arms caught me pulling me into his body before taking my hand and running toward his friend.

I didn't think I could run as fast as I did to get to her but I was sprinting for my life, we ran a little way through the trees at the top of the cliff I had only come from minutes before and Rachel and the girl with the scars was close behind. All five of the guys who had just left to look for her were crowded at the bottom of a tree, one of them, the biggest one who had the look of authority about him had started to climb up but had stopped half way up because Bailey began freaking out, not that I could blame her if a big unknown man began climbing after me I would probably scream blue murder too.

"Kim" Her little voice trembled as she saw me and Jared moved me forward toward the huge tree, I nearly laughed at how far up she had managed to climb but I stopped myself knowing the time was not right to be amused at my sisters antics.

"Bails you can come down, these are Jared's friends they just came to look for you" I offered but she shook her head at me defiantly. Rachel came and stood next to me, her neck craned to look at her student who was covered in scratches and mud.

"Bailey why don't you want to come down honey?" She asked in her kind teacherly voice, I looked around at the guys here all of them were looking up at my sister each looking sort of impressed probably at the fact a tiny girl got that high. I turned back to her and she started crying, she wiped her tears away before looking back at Rachel.

"Because I don't want to go home, I don't like it" Her voice quivered and my heart wrenched, I didn't like it either. Damn it I screwed up.

"It's going to be fine Bailey, it was just a little fight" I tried sugar-coating it but she shook her head again.

"No it's wasn't, he hurt you. He doesn't like us" She cried a little harder and not only did Jared growl but most of the guys around me growled at her words. Their looks turning angry as she spoke and I suddenly felt scared she would reveal everything to all these people.

"Bailey stop it and come down" I jerked forward only to be held back by Rachel's hand closing on my arm above my scolded palm. She shook her head at me telling me to let Bailey say what she wanted to. But I didn't want her too, my stomach was churning as she got closer to saying things I didn't want her to say.

"What if he hurts you again? I don't like it when he shouts at you it scares me. I don't want to go home I don't want to I hate it there, it's always cold and he's always sad and your always crying too, you think I don't hear you but I do and I don't want to go back there, I don't want you to cry anymore" She was getting hysterical now, the guy who had crawled up the tree looked down not at me but the girl behind me with the scars, there was a strange look in his eyes and he looked at me for a split second before back up at Bailey. My heart was pounding painfully from her words, she was right. It was such a cold house not only temperature wise but cold because there was no love there anymore.

"Bailey" I started but a little voice behind me stopped me.

"You can stay with me for the night how about that? Then we can figure it all out tomorrow but you need to come get warm and have some food. You can help me bake cookies if you like" I turned to the woman with scars, her motherly look seemed torn in pain as she looked from me to Bailey and Jared's hold on my hand tightened although I didn't know why, I hadn't even been aware he was still holding me but now I realised it my whole arm was warm, fire shooting from the area he was holding. .

"Ok" The little voice of Bailey came before I could deny the offer and I turned back to her to see her reaching down for the guy who was crawling back up more toward her. That was far too simple. Cookies? Or maybe it was the fact she was promised she didn't have to go home, did she hate it that much? How had I not realised she was scared of her own dad even before today? I was crap, I was supposed to protect her but I had her living with someone who scared her more than anything else and I had just let him carry on being that way.

"I umm we" I started to protest but the woman lay a hand on my shoulder before I could. I didn't want to be a burden to people, I didn't want to risk people finding out the truth because they would take Bailey from me.

"It's fine honestly. You and your dad need to cool off and I can sort your hand out for you" She offered softly and as much as I wanted to say no I nodded my head feeling like it was what was supposed to happen.

"Thank you" I whispered to her but she waved me off, the guys around us moved forward toward the tree and I watched with my breath caught in my throat as the big guy caught a hold of my little sister around the waist and began moving down again. He only got half way though before he looked sort of stuck on how to move and he looked for help but before one of the others could move forward Bailey reached out for Jared. He let my hand go, the calm he had brought to me vanished and I could feel myself growing hysterical again in terms of having all these people so close and hearing parts of my secret life. As his hand left me Rachel's arm wrapped around my shoulders in a tight embrace that tried to calm me down. It sort of worked but not like Jared's had.

"Sam lower her down" Jared called up to the man holding Bailey up the tree and the guy I know knew was called Sam started slowly moving her down whilst still holding her hands in his until she was far enough down for Jared and Embry to grab onto her legs and she fell down onto Jared, his arms outstretched to catch her and she wrapped herself around him in a tight hug.

I ran forward toward her but even as I got next to them she refused to let go of Jared, it sort of made my heart lift seeing her like it with him. She was holding him so tightly I thought she would burst him.

"Let's go bake cookies" She whispered and held her hand out for me to take while she still cuddled into Jared. The hysteria within me calmed again and I glanced around to see the people around me following not with pity in their eyes but relief sort of, genuine care. I guess I could let Jared give me his explanation, hearing him out wouldn't hurt.

* * *

**Holy hell, this was a long ass chapter, I didn't know how to end it so sorry if it's ended a little like crappy. This was originally two chapters but I couldn't find a way to split it hence why it's so long. Anyway, I was getting bored of Kim hating Jared so I thought I would move things along. Do you think he should tell her about the wolves or make up a shitty excuse as to why he ran away? :D let me know your thoughts! xx**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello! :D**

**Important note PLEASE READ- Just a heads up that for the next 4 weeks I will be lowering to one update a week on my stories, the day most probably being a Friday or Saturday night. This is due to the fact I currently am studying Maths at College and although normally it is a night course that I take after work and so it's only one night a week my final exam for it is in four weeks time meaning I really need to focus on my grade and passing, so I hope you all understand and can be patient until I get through the exam period and then my updates will be back to normal. Thank you! **

**The guest who put not your favourite can I just say you gave me a heart attack hahaha, I read that review and was like really sad then you reviewed again saying it was a mistake and I was like PHEW. Hahha you had me scared for a minute. But thank you for clearing it up and letting me know it was a mistake it means a lot that you like the story and that your reading and letting me know your thoughts :D Don't worry about the mistake just don't scare me like that again ahhaha xxx**

**Thank you to everyone else as well all your reviews helped a lot with writing this chapter! Enjoy :D xxx**

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I watched in silence from the kitchen table as Emily made cookies with Bailey, her cheeks were still red from the tears that had fallen earlier but she had perked up a lot once we managed to pry her from Jared. When she said she liked him I guess she meant it. Most of the guys had gone straight away and for that I was thankful because it was awkward as hell being around these huge guys. It was just Bailey and I, Sam, Emily and Jared although Sam and Jared had disappeared while Emily and I got Bailey changed and they still hadn't come back.

"Kimmie look Emily has cupcake trays, we don't have those" Bailey held up a baking tray and smiled a huge smile. My stomach clenched tightly again as she again gave away more information on our home life, it may only be a baking tray to her but to me it was information about how crap our house was and the sad smile that appeared on Emily's face showed me she knew it too. I hated this, not being here because Emily and Sam were kind as were the other guys Jared had been with but I hated the pity their eyes held as Bailey slipped up more with her words. I felt like I was a charity case, here because they knew my dad was losing his mind and that my house was depressive and dark.

I wanted to ring home, tell him we had found her but something told me he probably didn't care. He was probably passed out in bed with no memory of what he did to me or that his little girl had seen it and ran away from the home he was supposed to make her feel safe in.

"Kim would you like to help?" Emily's kind motherly voice broke through my self pitying thoughts and I looked back to where she was stood with Bailey to see them both smiling at me, Bailey's little face was lit up in a childish smile that I rarely saw on her, I guess she was comfortable with Emily.

I stuttered as I tried to find a way to turn them down, I was in such a crappy mood I couldn't even fake a smile and Bailey's faltered for a second. I didn't want to be here pretending to be happy, I was confused, I was upset, I was angry but I was anything but happy and wanting to make cookies. I was a mess of emotions, I was angry and upset with my dad but part of me was buzzing with a glimmer of hope and need to see Jared, for him to explain whatever it was he keeps saying he wants to explain and for a minute I actually thought he would tell me then he disappeared with Sam, it seemed to be a pattern with Jared that when I get upset and need someone he runs off but that was just me being bitter, I knew it was Sam who told him to leave not him wanting to leave earlier but it was nearly 8pm and they still weren't back.

"Kim?" Bailey called out and I realised they were still waiting for my answer, how could I say no without sounding rude? Damn it I couldn't.

"Sure" I stood up but my legs were still shaking and I nearly lost my footing.

"Actually I was wondering if I could steal you" A gruff voice came from behind me and I turned expecting to see Jared but it was Sam, he offered me a kind smile before his eyes shot behind me to Emily and I followed his eye line turning my head to see her quickly place a smile on her scarred face but it was forced, she looked sort of worried and I could have sworn that she made a movement as if coming towards me but stopped.

"Sure" I repeated my earlier simple reply and let my feet fall into a dazed walk behind Sam who was taking long strides back out of the house and into the dark yard. I realised that it was probably really stupid of me to be following a huge semi naked man into the darkness especially after I only met him a few hours ago but he had a sort of authoritive safety about him.

We reached the tree line and he stopped to look back at me, his smile forced like Emily's was but he seemed nervous, like he really didn't want to be here with me and for a second I felt the need to turn and run, I felt danger sparking within me but my feet didn't move.

"Umm Jared's waiting for you in there but I need to talk to you first" He spoke lowly as if trying not to be overheard and I looked past him into the woods, I couldn't see Jared. By this point my body was shaking from nerves I had no idea why he would be in there nor why I would be out here with Sam instead of him. He was supposed to be explaining something to me not Sam. "He's going to explain it to you as well but I guess he thinks it will be easier if I fill you in first. I just need you to be open minded for a minute"

He stopped and stared at me, I felt myself frown at his words. I didn't understand a word he was saying, why would it be easier for Sam to tell me? And why would I need to be open minded? I would have asked those questions out loud had I not been intimidated by Sam's size and the fact he was looming over me on the edge of a dark forest, instead I just nodded slowly like I agreed with what he said although I didn't.

He drew in a big breath and looked around the yard before signalling for me to follow him in walk and I did, I wasn't sure why I trusted him so much but I fell into step beside him as he walked into the trees.

"Ok so I guess I don't really know you that well so I don't know how to tell you this, with Emily I at least knew her enough to know what to say and what not to and now I'm rambling. You know what I'm just going to come right out and say it" He stopped and turned to me, his height nearly doubled mine and I couldn't help but cower away from him as he towered over my small self. I had no idea what the hell he was talking about or what Emily had to do with it.

"You're Quileute right?" He asked and I nodded which caused him to let up a small sigh of relief. "So you should be familiar with the tribal legends, the spirit warriors, Taha Aki all that sort of stuff?" He spoke again but this time his eyes flamed with some strange blaze when he mentioned them, almost pride. I nodded again and again I got confused.

"My mom told them to us when we were little but I haven't heard them for years" I mumbled feeling the need to explain my knowledge of them. My dad was white and knew little about the tribe so my mom often told us the stories while my friend's dads would tell them, my dad told stories of Cinderella and Disney stories and my mom stuck with our history. Sam smiled at me a friendly smile and nodded.

"Ok that's good that's good. Ok so be open minded here" He added again and started walking so I followed him, I had never been as confused as I was in this moment but I tried to open my mind to whatever he was going to say. "You saw all of us today, me, Paul, Jared, Embry and the other two" He looked at me and waited for me to nod and so I did.

"It's hard to miss you" I let out without meaning to and he barked a laugh. "I mean you're all big" My hands flew up to make a big gap signalling their size and he laughed again.

"Yeah comes with the job" He chuckled to himself this time causing me to grow confused all over again.

"Ok so tell me what you know about the spirit warriors" He stopped and turned to me letting me speak and my cheeks blushed suddenly from being on show to him. I had to really search for the information I once used to hear every night, I used to love those stories. Sophie used to tell me one day a wolf would come and save her, I never really knew what she meant by it though. She told me the same thing the night she vanished, she said right before she put me to bed that I shouldn't worry because a wolf will come and save her. I figured she had just said it as an end to the story she had told me, she made one up about a girl called Kim falling in love with a wolf who saved her. She was a big romantic.

I shook the memories from my head and looked back up at Sam who was waiting patiently. "I umm I guess I know about Taha Aki and the cold ones, the tribe men changed into wolves to save the tribe from the cold ones. The males in the tribe are supposed to all carry the gene and protect us. I can't remember the exact details, why?" I was really lost, I knew the basics but I had been told fairytale legend stories not the real things.

"No that's good, it's a start" He smiled encouragingly at me his eyes burning with the same emotion I saw back at the tree line, like he knew something, like he was in control of something. "Do you believe in the legends?" He asked this time and the question caught me completely off guard. Did I believe? I had never thought of them as anything but old stories, I shrugged at him and he smiled again but this time he looked a bit put off.

"I was a kid they weren't the really legends my mom and sister would turn them into fairytales about a wolf prince and a princess and the wolf saving her from the cold ones, I mean I never thought of them as anything but bedtime stories. Why you going to tell me their real?" I meant it as a joke and for a minute I snorted at myself that is until Sam's face stayed perfectly serious and my stomach dropped in dread that he was actually about to say something along those lines.

"Kim be open minded. The legends say we come from wolves and that we turn into wolves when we sense danger to our people. I used to think that they were purely stories my mom told me when I was a kid...that is until a little while ago I became a spirit warrior, we are spirit warriors" He spoke slowly trying not to freak me out but he failed. I fell backwards and he followed my movement. This was not funny. They weren't real. This was Jared being an asshole, they were messing with my head again. Nope. I was not believing this crap.

"Wait let me explain" He reached out for me and for some reason I stopped, for some reason my body was giving him the time to explain even though I had known this man less than a day and Jared was nowhere in sight. "All of us who you saw earlier, we turn into wolves, so does Jared. We protect the tribe from threats, cold ones. That's why we are so big, we are shape shifters" He stopped again and I think he realised he was failing at explaining this to me because he looked behind him desperately before back at me. "Will you let me show you?" He asked quietly and for some reason I nodded. Everything in me was screaming run but my head nodded and my feet moved to follow him as he made his way through a gap in the trees. I was insane, he was insane. This was insane.

I tripped over a branch but my feet managed to stay upright, I felt like we had walked for a mile and I was about to ask a question when my body went rigid, my eyes falling on something I never thought I would be this close to and my breath caught in my throat. Sam was at my side still and he was looking down at me as if watching for my reaction. I didn't know how to react, there was a huge wolf stood in front of me. What do you do in that moment? Run and cry? Scream? Or as I was doing right now just stare?

The wolf was huge, I let my eyes travel over the body, my heart was hammering and my breath refused to leave my lips but for some reason my eyes unfroze and I found myself basking in the beauty of the creature in front of me. The fur was beautiful and soft looking, its brown fur shining in the light of the moon and stars that twinkled through the rustling tree leaves, his paws were huge and I could make out the big muscles that lay beneath the fur over its legs. I moved onto its neck, it was thick and muscle's lay there too but it was its face that took me, the fur was darker there, it's nose was nearly black but still beautifully soft looking. Then the eyes hit me, my eyes locked on them and a sense of familiarity washed over me, they were a deep swirling brown, so beautiful and breath taking, had my lungs been working in that moment they would have stopped all over again. I knew those eyes, I dreamt of those eyes.

"Jared" His name left my lips before I could stop it and the wolf's head snapped up, Sam beside me shot his head down to me too and I found myself looking back up at him for some sort of confirmation but I didn't need it. It was Jared.

My feet suddenly moved forward and there was a tugging in my chest, pulling at me to get closer to the wolf that looked so much like Jared. The animal stepped back hesitantly, his eyes looking back to Sam as if needing encouragement and as if he received it he stepped toward me, hesitant still but calmer. My hand came up to his face as I got close, my finger tips smoothing over his long nose and over the area between his two eyes until I was running my hand over his head and the area of body I could reach. My eyes came back to his and I knew it was him.

"It's real. You're a wolf?" I whispered and the Jared like wolf jerked his head in a nod. I was losing my mind, I was dreaming, I was doing anything but this. But it was right, it felt right, it felt real. He was a wolf. They were wolves. "I don't understand" I whispered again as I realised I had no idea what this had to do with me or why he told me. The wolf Jared looked at me and ran backwards into the trees giving off a little yip as he went.

I turned to look for Sam but he wasn't there anymore, I didn't feel alone though, someone was here with me and as quickly as he had left Jared walked back through the trees but as a human dressed only in a pair of shorts. He walked faster than normal to get to me and when he did he grabbed for my hand before pulling to me to sit down and so I did, my body was so numb I would have done anything he told me to in that moment purely because I wasn't in full control of my legs.

"Jared" I started as we sat down but he shook his head at me to tell me to shut up.

"Kim just let me explain it to you and then you can speak" He was forward and in control obviously knowing what he wanted to say and do in this moment and I shut up to let him do just that. "I know this is random as hell and we only just met and you don't trust me or really like me" I went to protest at this because I did like him, I was wary of him but no matter how much I tried to hate him I still liked him, he still haunted my thoughts 24/7 but before I could reply he pressed on with his obviously rehearsed speech. "And maybe I shouldn't have gotten Sam to bring you out here, I should have done it all myself but he's my alpha and I thought he would do a better job at explaining than I would but he obviously confused the hell out of you. I never thought you would know it was me when you saw my wolf, and I still don't know what to say but it's true, all the legends your mom ever told you were true, we protect the tribe"

"Why are you telling me this?" I cut across him suddenly the question burning too much within me to hold it down any longer and he looked at me confused for a second. "This is a huge secret to you, why would you tell me?" I asked again and he cocked his head and shrugged as if it should be obvious to me but it wasn't.

"You told me something huge about you because you trusted me with it, I trust you with this Kim, I want you to realise that I didn't use you, I like you a lot and I want you to see that I didn't leave because I wanted to I left because I didn't know what else to do" He stopped and I said nothing, I still didn't know what else to do so I just stared at him. It felt nice I suppose to know he trusted me and a little part of me pushed back at the wall I built up named Jared, maybe he hadn't used me.

"Why did you run?" I asked this time and he dropped his head into his hands.

"I will tell you but I have to explain the wolf stuff as well, I can't just leave it at this there's more to it, there's more to the reason I'm trying so hard with you, why I couldn't handle what you told me. It's going to freak you out and I'm sorry Kim but it's true, everything I am about to say is true"

He stopped, his eyes bearing down into mine and they stayed that way as he went through everything, he explained the first time he phased, how he suddenly grew so big because of the wolf genes, why he's so hot in temperature, why his temper is all over the place, how he missed school for weeks, how he came back and saw me, how he was drawn to me from the minute he came back after phasing. He told me about imprinting, Sam and Emily, Rachel and Paul and apparently me and him. My body snapped back into focus as he said that, as he explained that imprinting was a way of the spirits showing a wolf who his soul mate was, I was Jared's apparently. In that moment I wanted to scream and run but I stayed, his hand in mine was like a lifeline and as he spoke the words my body seemed to relax into a trusting state where I just listened to him again, he apparently was desperate to get to know me, that he would do anything for me and part of me realised in that moment that it was why I felt so trusting of him why I had told him the things I never told anyone else. We were supposed to be together, he was my protector, my wolf. I mean I wasn't head over heels for the guy but for some reason what he was saying didn't freak me out or make me want to run it was sort of soothing, like a well told story.

"The day I left you wasn't because I was using you or I was an asshole Kim, I mean I was an asshole in that moment but I didn't mean to be. The man you described, the man who took Sophie I know what he was. I don't know who he was but I know what he was" He stopped his never ending story and my breath restarted, suddenly I was no longer engrossed in his words but I was desperate for them, I needed him to carry on I was desperate to hear what he had to say, Sophie he knew something. "It was a cold one, a vampire. At least I think it was, you described one perfectly but I don't understand why he would go after her. I'm sorry Kim, but vampires they" He stopped as tears rolled down my face, I didn't need him to continue, I knew enough. Vampires. I heard enough stories, stories I once believed to be fiction to know what vampires did.

"So she's dead" I croaked out and his arm draped around my shoulder pulling me closer as he shook my head.

"No, we don't know that. Don't believe that Kim. I'm going to do whatever I can to find who took her, we know a coven of vampires in Fork's they will help us" He soothed into me as I cried into his bare chest. He just let me do it, I was sure this wasn't how he planned to tell me that I was the 'love of his life' but it was what was happening and he was adapting to my melt down well.

I cried for a few minutes before calming myself down, my whole life part of me felt like she was dead but knowing or sort of knowing what took her or what happened to her hurt like hell. I wiped my cheeks off and glanced back up at Jared. "You didn't have to tell me this, it was your secret, your life" I whispered against the darkness and he shook his head slowly at me.

"You didn't have to tell me yours but you did, Kim I know we only just started talking but I really like you, and your my imprint, it's your secret to. This wolf stuff, you have a right to know about it, you're part of the pack if you want to be. I mean don't feel like you have to be or that we have to go out, I'll be whatever you want me to be" He was getting more desperate as he spoke and I found it endearing.

I could understand now, we had been out here what felt like hours just him explaining it to me, explaining the imprint. I hadn't said a word back to him but I didn't need to, I just accepted it so easily. He seemed surprised at my silence, I think he thought I would explode but it felt sort of right, like the word imprint clicked within me and I just accepted it. My mind flashed back through the times I admired him from afar as a kid, was that the imprint growing in me from childhood? Was the times Sophie spent telling me stories of a wolf prince whisking a princess named Kim away a weird way of preparing me for this moment? She wouldn't have known but those stories had to come to her from somewhere, if the spirits surrounding our tribe had an input into my life from back then I guess it could be them getting me ready for this. I probably should have resisted the secret, made more of a fight not to believe that Jared could turn into a wolf and was my soul mate but I couldn't find that fight.

The only thing that fought back was my heart, I had always had a thing for Jared Cameron, always wanted him to notice me but after everything I had been through and after the way I felt about him in the last few days, after accepting the news of imprint so well, my heart seemed to be warning me, pleading with me to take a step back from the words he was using. Soul mate, love, meant to be together. I liked Jared, but I wasn't going to fall into his arms this instance and be his.

"Friends" I said simply and as I said the word Jared's eyes dimmed but he smiled anyway.

"Friends" He copied me and nodded his head, letting me fall against his shoulder again as I let my questions come out in a flurry, I had kept quiet earlier but now I had questions. Now I wanted to know about vampires, wolves, the pack, the imprints how they happened with the other two and Sophie, I wanted to know what he thought about Sophie.

Just his eyes dimming at the word friends was enough to clench at my heart, I was scared of this, I was scared of this imprint bond he said we had, I was wary of it, I wasn't used to depending on someone, putting my faith in someone other than myself because the last time I did that she left me. No one had been there for me or cared since she left. God please don't let me fall for him because I don't think I would be able to handle anymore heart ache, I don't think I could cope with depending on someone else. God don't let me fall if he isn't going to catch me.

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**Hope that was ok, I didn't know how to have them tell her so I hope it worked out ok :D xx**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you for your patience while I try to study, this weekend was all over the place with updates but I've been a bit ill then I went on a girls night out and have been nursing a killer hang over so here it is finally! :D xx**

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My dreams that night were bizarre, strange images of red eyes and wolves had filled my mind, new ones being brought each time I turned over on the small guest bed I was sharing with Bailey. A warm heat was pressing on my exposed arm but I kept my eyes shut just allowing myself a few minutes to wake up, it was the first time I had woken up nicely in a while. I wasn't shivering cold, there wasn't an awful smell of beer around me and I couldn't hear broken sobs beneath me like I did when I was at home, it was peaceful and warm. My body felt rested for once and my mind although jumbled with the answers and strange pieces of information Jared had given me the night before, I still felt like I was calm and everything felt a little brighter than it had done yesterday.

I rolled over onto my side, my hair falling down over my shoulder blade and my legs stretched out down the single bed but they stretched too far and wide, into an area of the bed that should be occupied by Bailey. I smoothed my leg out over the crisp warm sheet beneath me but I didn't come into contact with her, I was alone. My eyes darted open and I snapped my head around to look at the end of the bed, she wasn't here.

"She's downstairs" A gruff voice I knew instantly to be Jared spoke up and my eyes fell onto the dressing table, he was perched on the little stool that seemed far too small for him, his eyes were tired like he hadn't slept much and his skin was dark with lack of sleep. "She woke up about twenty minutes ago and went down for breakfast, the girl can eat she demolished my pancakes before I even got a bite" His dim expression lifted into a fond smile and I found myself offering him a small smile back, she would eat all day if I let her, it was impressive that she managed to take food from Jared and still have her hand left, he was protective over his food I gathered that the first time we ate lunch together.

"How are you feeling?" Jared asked again this time his voice lowering from amusement to concern and I shifted on the mattress so that I was sat up, the smile left his face and my heart began clenching for it to come back. I liked his smile.

"I'm ok, you?" The reply came out so false, it was one of those questions that you automatically reply to without even thinking about it.

"A little nervous" He dropped his gaze from mine and turned to look out the window that lay beside where he sat, the sun was streaming in giving heat to my skin and as he turned his face the sun rays hit his russet skin making him glow slightly, he was quite beautiful, I always felt stupid referring to guys as beautiful but there was no other way to describe him.

"Why?" I cocked my head to the side and waited, he didn't offer an answer straight away he seemed to open his mouth and shut it again searching for the right thing to say.

"I'm worried you're going to hate me again, I'm worried I told you too much too soon and I don't want to force you into all this wolf stuff. You hardly know me and" He stopped himself, lowering his head further down toward his lap.

"And you told me I was your soul mate" I mumbled the words he hadn't spoken and he nodded before glancing back up at me. It was a lot, it was a little weird and a little full on but I surprisingly wasn't freaked out by it. It kind of helped me get over the anger I held toward Jared, he hadn't used me, just knowing that made the information easier to digest because I so wanted him to be a good guy and he was. I mean had the incident at the beach not happened then we would have continued being friends and getting closer, I couldn't hold a grudge against him for running off like he had, I had just told him Sophie was taken by a vampire if the situation was reversed I would have run off to find my alpha too. At least I think I would have.

"I'm sorry" He spoke so quietly I barely heard him but the movement on his lips told me what he said.

I shook my head at him trying to make him realise he didn't need to apologise, I was glad he had told me because it confirmed it in my mind that he hadn't used me for information on Sophie. He had shared a huge secret with me, a far bigger one than my secret, he trusted me with it so I guess I had to trust him with mine. "I'm not" He looked at me with confusion now and I shuffled off the bed so my legs were dangling to the floor and I was no longer covered by the duvet, I watched as he fought to keep his eyes on mine, I was wearing only a strappy t-shirt and a pair of Emily's bed shorts that she leant to me. "I'm glad you told me Jared" His downtrodden expression changed again, his smile came back but only lightly, his eyes were still sad, I could of sworn for a second he looked ready to cry but as soon as the emotion reached his eyes he blinked it back. I didn't like sad Jared, it didn't suite him being so unhappy, and ever since I was a kid his smile was the one thing that could lift my mood.

Neither of us said anything but my name was called from below, Emily was shouting for me to have breakfast. I stole a glance at the clock on the wall, it was 11am. I never slept this late. The bed was so warm and comfortable though, even now I didn't want to get up but I did. I made my way to the chair beside the dressing table where my clothes were folded, Jared stood up suddenly as I walked past him, his big body blocking my way to the chair but he didn't move instead he leant down and picked the clothes up before holding them to me, his movements slow and slightly awkward like he wanted to do something else but was too embarrassed by his presence. He seemed vulnerable, I had never seen him like this, he looked genuinely nervous and on edge, his eyes just stared down into mine and I could just about feel his breath against my face. For a split second it looked like he was going to lean in and kiss me, his eyes shifted from mine to my lips and his body jerked forward but mine jerked back and I held my hand up to take my clothes from him.

"I'm glad we are friends again Jared" The words came out before I could stop them and as quickly as the kiss moment came it went, his body seemed to deflate and he handed me the clothes before nodding and back away from me, the look in his eyes only got sadder and I watched with pains in my chest as he turned and walked from the room. I had just friend zoned Jared.

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I stole a glance back to the old truck that lay waiting and watching at the end of our overgrown front lawn, in the front seats Jared and Sam sat just watching with firm expressions and Bailey and I made our way toward the beat up front door to the dull house. Only one light was lit inside, my dads bedroom light. It was 7pm, we had spent all day with Jared, Emily made more cookies and muffins with Bailey while Jared and I sort of just hung out. It was awkward for a while, I think he felt like I was completely friend zoning him but I hadn't meant to. After lunch he lightened up though, he told me all about the pack, the Cullens, Bella Swan who was Charlie's daughter, she was involved with a vampire one of the Cullens. It all sounded very serious.

Bailey waved at the two guys before heading up the steps, both of them waved back but it was forced, I could tell Jared didn't want me here, when Sam came back telling us we had to come home he had began shaking so badly Emily screamed at him to get out of the house. Apparently Charlie Swan rang Sam to say my dad reported me missing and we had to go home. I was sure everything would be fine, he probably couldn't even remember hitting me. Jared on the other hand hated the idea, Sam wasn't keen either and Emily had loaded me up with bags of cookies and bread for Bailey but I was sure she done it because she knew we ate next to nothing here. We had no money to get proper food so we mostly lived off tin soup and frozen fries and chicken nuggets.

I tried smiling at Jared but it only caused him to jerk forward as if about to jump from the truck, Sam pulled him back in though and I figured it best to just go in so I did, I pushed the unlocked front door open knowing my father never locked it and Bailey made her way in, stopping in the hallway as her little head bobbed up to look at the man leant against the wall there. My dad was just stood there, his eyes bloodshot and tearful, he was still in his clothes from yesterday and it was obvious he hadn't washed. I shut the door quickly making sure Jared didn't see him and as I did my dad came barrelling forward and crouched down by Bailey, part of me wanted to reach out and pull her back but he wasn't drunk I could see that much so I just watched as he pulled her in for the first hug he had given either of us in years. She just stood as he held her, her little head turned to look for help from me but I just watched. He let her go and she went running up the stairs to her room while he stood back and let me past.

"Kim" He started after me as I made my way to the kitchen but I held firm, I wouldn't just enable him to carry on like he was anymore. I started unloading the cookies into the biscuit jar while he came and leant against the counter next to me, stale beer on his breath and clothes. "Kim let me see you" His voice shook and his big rough hand came up to move the hair away from my face, his eyes scanning over my cheek which was bruised lightly from where he hit me. My hand was worse and sure enough he lowered his own hand to lift mine up, the skin there was bubbling and blistering away, it hurt like hell when I outstretched it, Emily had sorted it out with cream and dressing but it still hurt.

"I'm sorry" He whispered and fell backwards away from me, his glazed over eyes became teary again and his white face paled even more. He hadn't forgotten what he did, part of me didn't want him to, I wanted him to see what he was doing to himself and his family but he looked so broken that the part of me who just wanted to let him carry on came back up.

"It's fine, it was an accident" I said firmly, I packed away the muffins and turned to leave.

"No, it's not fine Kim, I swear I'm gonna get help. I'll get my job back, I'll be better now, I love my girls Kim, I promise I'll fix all of this" His pleas stopped me as I reached the door and I turned back to him, he was leant against the counter, his body shaking from the fact he hadn't had a drink in so long. He was dependant on it now; his skin was a horrible dirty yellow pale colour, his face unshaven and his hair unkept. Alcoholic. I tried so hard to believe he wasn't alcohol dependant that it was just a phase, I never wanted to label him as it but looking at him now it was all I could see and think. His words although I knew in some way he meant them they seemed empty, like a promise I knew he wouldn't keep. I couldn't pretend anymore, it wouldn't get better because he wouldn't try, he couldn't fix what had happened. What he did to me, what Bailey saw him do, what we both thought of him because he was broken.

"Too little too late dad, I know you love us but you love that stuff more" I pointed to the pile of empty bottles by the back door, his eyes followed my point and his head dropped, he couldn't even say anything back or look me in the eye because it was true.

I turned into the hallway again and made my way slowly to the stairs, as my foot lifted to the first step the sound I knew so well echoed from the kitchen, the hiss of gas as he opened another beer bottle. Empty words.

I carried on up the stairs, each step I took slamming another painful thud to my chest. This place was dark, empty, dull, cold, there was no happiness here. I walked into the bedroom, Bailey was curled up on her bed drawing pictures, she looked up at me, her little eyes knew, mirroring the hurt I felt right this minute.

"He wasn't always like this Bails" I whispered to her and made my way to the window to shut the curtains. She looked at me but said nothing; I felt the need to always tell her that he had once been such an amazing dad. Her had gone like this after mom died, Bailey was young but she said she remembered bits of how things were, she never knew Sophie but for a few years after she went missing dad tried his best to be normal for us, then when mom died he flipped.

"I know, I just wish he would get better now" Her little voice was so innocent and as soon as she said it she went back to her drawing.

"Me too" I sighed leaning against the window pane, the truck was gone but I felt like he was out there. My eyes shifted over the street in front of me, nothing was there but I felt like he was. Like he was watching me, making sure I was ok and it felt nice.

I pulled the curtains shut and threw myself down on my bed, curling into the duvet but I was still cold. I was always cold here, not like I had been at Emily's, their house was warm and homely, this was just a house, there was no home about it. My eyes travelled over to my bedside table where a picture of Sophie lay, her skin lighter than mine and her hair not as dark, she had been beautiful. She was pretty, athletic and smart. She was a straight A student. Was, I always used the word was like she was dead, I think I still believed she was dead no matter how much I wanted to think she was alive, it was highly unlikely and now knowing what I knew from Jared I figured it even less likely. He had told me all about vampires, how I described one perfectly and his different ideas on why she was taken, although he mainly thought it was probably just because the vampire that took her was drawn to her blood, Sam seemed to think she might have been taken to be turned. But Jared shot him down straight away with that idea; he said I didn't need to think about that. He promised they would try to find out; apparently the Cullens were going to see if they could help. I was grateful they were helping but I didn't think I really wanted to know, I mean I did, if it meant I would find her or find closure then I did but I was just scared out of my mind at what I would find.

"Kim" Bailey's voice chimed up and I turned to look at her raising my eyebrows letting her know I was listening. She had a smirk on her face, a sly little smirk and she held up a picture for me. It was a girl, with a dog, a big dog next to her and a heart around them.

"What's that?"

"You always used to tell me stories that Sophie and momma told you, about a princess and her wolf and the wolf is really a handsome boy from the tribe" She chirped and my stomach dropped, oh god, had she overheard Jared telling me? "Well I think Jared likes you, and you always blush when your with him. I think he could be your wolf prince. I would be happy if you got married you know" She sung and started giggling at herself. My stomach lifted again only to then drop. She didn't know, she just liked Jared. I liked Jared. Oh god.

"He's just my friend Bails" I groaned and turned over away from her, my face blushed again as it did most of the time I was with him or thought of him, the anger I held for him had evaporated completely by this point and the stupid butterflies were back no matter how much I tried to ignore it. Imprint. It was a nice idea, but I didn't want to focus on it too much, we were friends for now.

"Yeah friends who secretly crush on one another, he so checked you out earlier. You're so oblivious to it. Mrs Jared Cameron" She started humming wedding tunes and as much as I tried to ignore it the idea of being Mrs Jared Cameron made me blush all over again. He had checked me out, I had seen him doing it but he was a guy, that's what guys did.

I settled back against my pillow trying desperately to ignore my little sister and she hummed and sang about me marrying Jared but as the thoughts of him flushed from my head an eruption of howls lifted into the night sky, there was a collection of them, they weren't angry, it was soothing actually as if they were calling each other. But through the different howls I picked out one, one that seemed louder than the rest, his howl. Jared. Damn it, I was screwed. Mrs Kim Cameron, it had a nice ring to it.

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**Review :D xx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you for your patience between updates, this chapter goes between POV's so hopefully it doesn't annoy you too much. **

**Enjoy!**

**Kim point of view**

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My mind played over everything like a never ending film as I drove to school, my dreams that night had been of wolves and the stories I once believed to be fairytales. I suppose part of me was wary, maybe freaked out about the whole thing but that part was suppressed by the fact that I had dreamt of those stories my whole life, Sophie had put these thoughts upon me as a child that I would be saved by a wolf prince, although I was taking it slow with Jared, or at least trying to, I guess he was my wolf prince.

I tried not to dwell on the wolf side too much, he was a wolf but upmost he was Jared, just Jared. A guy who I had liked since I was a child and a guy who had promised to be there for me, he was my friend and that's what I tried to focus on as I pulled into the car park. My eyes scanned for him but he wasn't there, I waved goodbye to Bailey as she skipped off toward class, she was happier than I had seen her in a while and I watched as she ran to the little girl I knew to be Paul's little sister, I think her name was Amy. Either way I smiled as I watched for the first time since she started school at Bailey interacting with other kids. I made a mental note to say thank you to Jared for it, I had thanked him for everything but him fixing Bailey's school problem.

I clutched my books to my stomach as I walked up to the front door, praying that somehow the books would give me some sort of warmth, it was a freezing cold day and I was dressed for winter in a pair of knee high boots, with long socks underneath, thick black leggings and a hooded top, not to forget the coat I chucked on over the top and even then I was still freezing.

"Michaels" A gruff voice came behind me and for a second I thought it to be Jared or one of the other pack boys but then I realised they called me by my surname, only one person did that. Corey. I checked that it was him and when I was sure it was I turned back to the front doors and pushed my way in, he seemed to have an obsession with taunting me and I had no idea why. "Michaels, hey" He pulled on my upper arm forcing me to stop and so I gave in and looked at him, his young face curled in amusement.

"It's Kim, I'm not one of your home boys so don't call me by my last name" I snapped surprising myself and him, he jerked his head back in surprise at my comeback before letting out a long sarcastic whistle.

"Well well KIM, got some balls growing have we?" He rose both eyebrows at me and I let out an irritated sigh and went to walk away but he still had hold of my arm and so I couldn't.

"What is your problem? Why do you feel the need to annoy me?" I snapped pulling my arm from his grip and his face fell into surprise again before a pleasured smile. He was just a bully, no other way to describe him than being one of those shit head kids who got his kicks out of hurting other people.

"I don't have a problem, I just want to make sure you know your daddy" He started but before he could finish his sentence he was thrown to the side and his body was replaced with Embry Call's, he had him by the neck closely followed by Quil who joined in pushing him aside.

"What Blackmore? Her daddy what?" Embry growled and continued to push him until he was up against a locker, Quil stopped next to me simply grinning at how Corey began quivering underneath Embry's hold.

"N-n-nothing" Corey stuttered out his cheeks going pink from the hold Embry had on him.

"Let me give you some advice, don't be such a prick. Now get out here you little wimp" Embry pushed him and let him go but the push had enough force Corey fell to the ground making the surrounding people roar with laughter and his cheeks blushed with embarrassment. He scrambled to his feet but made no move to leave so Embry rounded on him again. "What?"

And with that Corey turned and ran down the corridor like a little girl. Embry turned back to Quil and I a smug smile on his face, Embry was always a nice kid, I had never seen him get in a fight and even now when he spoke with a growl to his voice he didn't actually look that aggressive to me. He winked at me before walking back to us.

"You ok?" Quil spoke up this time his eyes strained on my arm where Corey had held me. I nodded, it didn't hurt I had so many layers on he barely marked me I doubted. "Kids such an ass" He turned as Embry did and began walking down the hall, I didn't follow but they both look at me in question and so I scrambled after them.

"Umm thanks, you didn't have to he would get bored after a while" I looked up at Embry, my neck nearly straining to do so he was pretty tall, maybe taller than Jared, I would say Jared was short but beefier whereas Embry was tall and lean, Quil just seemed podgy, like he still had puppy fat.

"Ahh it's nothing, we protect our own and all that jazz. Plus Jared's not here until lunch so someone's gotta be on Kim lookout" Embry shrugged it off and winked at me again, protect our own? Does that mean I'm part of the pack? For a second my body buzzed in heat at the thought of being accepted into their tight little group but then the Kim lookout hit me and I shot a look at him which he received and seemed to go sheepish.

"Kim lookout?" I wasn't a china doll, I didn't need Kim lookout, Quil laughed from the other side of me while Embry seemed to turn red under my stare.

"I uhh better go to math" He suddenly changed direction and ran down the hallway leaving me with a still laughing Quil. I had to say I didn't feel completely comfortable with these guys but then again I had never had people pay attention to me so it was going to take some time. I turned looking questioningly at Quil, what did Kim lookout even mean? Did they think I was some sort of disaster who needed watching? He like Embry stopped laughing and quickly said goodbye before turning and sprinting down the hallway. Right.

* * *

I made my way out into the parking lot, my head was hurting from the lessons I had had, each of them brought new topics that made me have to use my brain and I was so tired and bored of being here I just couldn't be bothered. I didn't have long left at school and so my teachers were cracking down on revision material and final cramming before exam period started and I had to say it was tiring me out.

I found myself looking out over to where Jareds car had been this morning, he hadn't come back at lunch like Embry said he would, instead I was forced to sit quietly between Quil and Embry while they argued and pigged out on trays of food. I said nothing the entire time, I felt too awkward with them and not having Jared there but they had insisted I sit with them, they even bought my lunch for me. It was strange and by last period I had all these girls coming up to me asking if I was dating Embry because word had got out about how he went for Corey that morning. I was now a gossip topic, I was one of the few girls those boys paid attention too and everyone questioned me on it. I got asked the strangest questions about them and in the end I had to use the head ache I had as an excuse to skip class and I spent last period sat in the nurses office.

My eyes fell on his truck, my heart lifting instantly as I saw him stood in front of it talking intently with Embry, I watched for a second as Embry made various hand movements and Quil joined in now and then, I had no idea what they were talking about but it looked as if Jared wasn't happy. I figured he was in a mood and so I simply turned to walk to my car but as I did I caught a movement to my right and I lifted my head back up to see him running for me, that smile I knew so well spreading across his face before his hand came up to call me over. I had to say I didn't think one person who only a few days before I had tried so hard to dislike who have such an effect on me but his presence here and that smile lifted my mood instantly and I found myself walking toward him before the thought even registered in my brain to move my feet.

"Kim" He called as he got closer and before I could even greet him back he grabbed at me and pulled me into a tight hug, a warm tight hug that I didn't want to end but I did anyway, I pulled back as I noticed the girls around us start pointing and whispering to one another. "You ok?" He asked, his eyes narrowing as I pulled from his embrace, my cheeks were getting hotter and I knew I was blushing so I dipped my head to nod.

"Yeah, I just have a killer head ache" I regretted my words because as I spoke them his hand came up brushing his finger tips across my forehead, as much as I wanted him to stop because it just made the whispering around us worse but as his skin brushed mine the ache in my head faded. This was so not how friends acted. Holy crap. "I better go get Bails" I pulled away from him which only caused the ache in my head to return and as I walked from him he mirrored my movement. I wanted him to but there was still that part of me more concerned by what people would say that I was hanging out with Jared and his friends. I didn't want that attention but by the looks of it I was getting it.

"Sorry I wasn't here this morning, Embry told me about Blackmore. Asswipe. I had patrol, Sam had some stuff to deal with so I got stuck on his shift." He started explaining and I wanted to tell him he didn't owe me an explanation or apology but I just let him carry on. "How was everything at home?" His voice changed from conversational to worried and I stopped in my tracks and turned to him.

"You don't have to worry about my dad Jared, he won't hurt me. I mean, what happened was a one off thing, he's never laid a hand on me or Bailey before, he just...I don't know. It is what it is, but you don't need to worry or hang outside my house all night" I cocked my head to the side raising an eyebrow and his cheeks blushed as I caught him out, he was out there, I knew he was.

"Busted. With the risk of sounding like a stalker or a looser, I know we are only friends but you are important to me, you're a big part of my life and whether you had issues at home or not I would be outside your window every night. Sue me for caring but it comes with the whole..well you know" He went sort of awkward then, I knew what he meant he just couldn't say it out loud right here. I guess being an imprint meant more than him and me just being friends, even at this early stage I could see how involved with me he was becoming. It sort of frightened me. I didn't know if I was ready for that intensity, because even as friends his mere presence seemed to fix all the worries inside me. It was deep. So much deeper than I knew it should be, we had only been talking a couple weeks and I felt like I couldn't be without him in my life.

"Kim. Hey Jared" A little voice chirped and Bailey ran into our sides holding out her bag for me to take which I did. She gave Jared a huge hug although she only reached his waist, he returned it just as tightly as he gave it to her before she turned and ran to where my car was parked.

"I best get home, will you be in school tomorrow?" I asked Jared as I began returning to my car, he was following me again, our pace had slowed as if trying to drag out the seconds I had with him and he nodded at me not saying a word more as I threw my stuff in the boot and walked to my driver door. Bailey was already inside although I knew she was spying through the window at what was going on.

"We are having a sort of bonfire tonight, at Jake's place. His dad tells stories normally but tonight I think we are just chilling and stuff, if I asked you to, would you come with me?" He seemed hesitant to ask if not nervous and the simple question brought an array of butterflies to my own stomach. Had he just asked me to come I would have reacted fine but the 'with me' comment he added to the end made my girlish side come out and the word date sprang to my head as if I was a little girl overcome with a giddy crush. I felt the blush rise to my cheeks again and I nodded my head only for Bailey to tap the window in impatience and reality set in. I couldn't.

"Uhh I can't" I started and clocked my head toward Bailey but Jared didn't seem to get it, he just frowned at me.

"Well Bailey can come too, Emily is bringing her niece down, she's only two but I guess Bailey can play with her" He said it so conversational like I was stupid to think he hadn't meant Bailey as well but he had this desperate look in his eyes as he waited for my answer, I couldn't say no, I didn't want to say no and I couldn't say no and so I nodded at him causing his jaw busting smile to appear on his handsome face. My insides turned in butterflies and my own smile came up on my blushing face, this guy was trouble, I could feel it that this friends thing was impossible, it could never be that way with all the years I had spent crushing on him let alone knowing so much things about one another.

"I'll pick you up at 4:30 if that's ok?" He asked as he backed off and I nodded still unable to speak, his smile widened if that were possible before he turned and practically skipped to where his friends were still waiting by his truck.

I climbed into my own car, the need to screech in happiness overwhelming me but before I could do so Bailey did it for me.

"That is so a date!" Her squealing was so loud all I could do was giggle, I mean it wasn't a date because everyone would be there but it was something. Man was it something.

* * *

**Jared's point of view**

I knew something was wrong the minute I turned up, I was early, it was only twenty past four but I wasn't able to wait much longer and so I came for her, only to be met with the overwhelming smell of smoke and the thick substance was pouring from one of the downstairs windows while the front door lay open letting some of it out, the smoke alarm was screeching and as I made my way closer I could see through the front door both Bailey and Kim jumping around the downstairs hallway waving towels at the little white box on the ceiling.

"Kim?" I called in over the screeching alarm and surprisingly she heard me, her head turned toward where I was stood and she crouched over and groaned. The alarm wasn't stopping and she obviously couldn't reach it so I took her acknowledgment of me being here as permission to go in so I did and without even needing to reach I turned the alarm off.

"It's been going off for like an hour" She groaned and Bailey nodded in agreement before skipping upstairs. Kim just rolled her eyes, she was still wearing what she wore to school and as simple as it was she looked amazing, she didn't need fancy clothes or make up, she was naturally beautiful and that wasn't because I was biased. She didn't say anything else she just turned and went for the room the smoke was coming out of and I followed her, the smoke was coming from the stove even thought it was turned off it still seemed to linger in the air.

"What happened?" I asked as I grabbed a towel and helped her wave the smoke toward the open window.

"I don't even know I came home from school and my dad was passed out and the stove was practically on fire, part of me thinks he actually wants one of the neighbours to ring child services on him and get us taken away. The smoke just won't get out, I'm so not ready to go out" She groaned again as we managed to get the smoke to a minimum, I could actually see through it now. Her dad, I didn't want to be so negative about her dad but he seemed like a jack ass. I get he went through a lot but that's no reason to be so careless with his remaining kids. I didn't want her here anymore, or Bailey, I was well and truly falling for Kim but Bailey was the sweetest most innocent kid, she deserved more than what this place gave her.

I had thought it over too, that if anyone noticed her fathers drinking or how she seemed to be the only carer for Bailey that child protection services would take them, she was 18 soon I guess, I knew she was only 17 but senior year was nearly up so he had to be 18 soon, still though they would take Bailey and I could sense how even though she only mentioned it briefly now and then I knew it bothered her.

"You look nice in what you're in, you don't need to change. And it's going, have you turned the stove off by the mains?" I asked and hopped around her to the stove which was still burning hot. She shook her head and so I leaned over behind the old kitchen stove and pulled the wiring from the wall. I turned back to her but it wasn't just her it was her dad, or at least I think it was. He was tall, and I imagined him to once be a big man but now he looked run down and ill, his white skin paler than it should be yet it had a dirty tinge to it, his eyes were bloodshot and watering while his hands shook not from anger just from general poor health. Kim looked from him to me to him again and I heard her heart beat pick up to a frantic drum that could only be described as nerves.

"Who's he?" The man asked, his voice gruff and croaky and even from afar the smell of stale alcohol hit me. It took all my will power not to run for Kim and Bailey and take them from here, I didn't want either of them near this man, I knew what Kim meant, he didn't look like he could hurt them, he just looked broken but the smell and state he was in told me that although he was physically abusive all the time, the way he drank and acted with such lack of love and care had to result in some sort of mental or emotional abuse to them both. He didn't look at all like a man who could care for anyone, he just looked dead, his eyes held no emotion.

"My friend, Jared." Her voice quivered slightly, not like she was scared of him but she was worried, scared of me being here I guess. It was taking a lot to not grab her and go.

"I don't want him here" Her dad grumbled but it was barely coherent. He stumbled to the fridge, not taking any notice of the state the kitchen had been left in, I guessed the mess was him, beer cans and whiskey bottles lay over the table and counters, next to the burnt out stove was a bowl of uncooked pasta that he never got around to. He just grabbed another can from the fridge, shot a dead stare at Kim and left the room again, leaving behind a stench of stale beer.

Kim didn't say anything for a few seconds just hovered next to the window as more smoke left through it, the kitchen was basically clear now and Bailey came bounding back into the room with a huge smile on her face.

"Are we going now? I want to see that nice looking boy again, he was very friendly and Emily will be there won't she Jared?" She skipped around childishly, I felt sort of bad, she was the sweetest kid in the world and I knew that she didn't get the love kids her age needed or deserved from her dad. It was all left to Kim, I guess I knew it but now I saw it it just seemed so much worse.

I nodded at the little girl and she squealed before running out of the kitchen and outside.

"Sorry, she has a thing for one of your friends, I'm sure it's Embry but it could be Quil, she just keeps going on about one of the guys who protected her I don't know" Kim spoke up as I moved to leave and I could hear although she laughed it was forced, she didn't want me to see what I had and now she was uncomfortable because I had seen it.

"Well they both have mentalities of a ten year old so I don't blame her" I joked trying to get her mood to lift and it did ever so slightly, her smile flashed across her eyes but dimmed again as we walked past a door I knew held her father on the other side. She didn't call out to say goodbye and he didn't either, I guessed this was how it was most days and it sent a new wave of pain in my chest. I hated that she was here, I hated that she went through this. I wanted to fix everything but I didn't know how to. I wanted to make sure she never had to come here again but I couldn't.

Instead I just sent her a smile that I hoped she would take as what I meant it to be, I wanted her to know she didn't have to hide this from me, I would never judge her or make fun of what her life was, I would do whatever I could to make it better, I promised myself from the day I imprinted on her that I would do whatever it takes to protect her, even if it means taking her from this place, from her father I would do it just to see her smile.

* * *

**Kim point of view**

The drive to Jakes house was silent, the only noise was given by Bailey who chatted excitedly about seeing Sam and Emily again, she seemed to get attached to them the minute she had met them both properly and she went on and on about them both.

I felt Jared looking at me the entire drive but I couldn't look back, I was too ashamed, too fearful of what he had seen. I hadn't meant for him to arrive when he had, I hadn't wanted him to see what state my dad left the house in or even see how bad my dad was but he had, he had smelt the way my house stank, seen the mess it was left in on most days, seen the way my dad shook from the way he hadn't had alcohol in hours and seen how dangerous my dad's addiction could get. It mounts to something when he nearly burns the house down and doesn't realise. Although Jared hadn't said anything about it I knew he was thinking about everything I was and that made me feel even more uncomfortable. I wasn't used to people knowing. I didn't know how to open up and let someone in let alone the person I had spent so long crushing on, I wanted him to see me as this perfect girl he could fall in love with not some broken mess who comes from an equally broken family.

We pulled up outside a small red house, it was cute and small, like most houses on the res but this had charm to it. My eyes fell over the yard and I saw the area that was now overrun with people, the guys I knew and a couple I didn't really, Rachel was there and I saw Emily too, Bailey leapt over Jared and out of the truck and sprinted to where the two woman she knew were stood both of them turned and embraced her in hugs. At least she felt comfortable here I guess. I was grateful for that because I wanted her to have a few people she could turn to when needed.

I glanced across at Jared, he was just staring across the yard and I knew he wanted to say something but he seemed to be holding off. I needed to do something, I needed to tell him that I wasn't in danger, I felt the need to make excuses for my dad, to make sure he wasn't thought badly of.

"I just want you to know that he's never like that I mean, he's normally careful with things I umm" I stopped as Jared's hand came down on mine wrapping my cold one in his warm one and I looked over at him, there was this strange look to him, like he was trying to tell me something but I couldn't read it.

"You don't have to explain to me Kim, it's fine. I understand" He whispered, his words leaked truth but part of me still worried that he was regretting bringing me here, regretting inviting me into his life. I was a mess, I wasn't a simple girl, I wasn't easy to be around I had all these issues and secrets and I would understand if he regretted the imprint but yet there was a look in his eyes that was telling me he meant his words. He tugged on my hand and I slid across the seat to his as he hopped out and I followed suit.

"You don't need to pretend around me or these people, your part of the pack now Kim"

I nodded at Jared although not quite hearing or believing his words but he kept his hand locked around mine before shutting the door to his truck and leading me to the group, although I knew them all the butterflies in my stomach roared out, I was nervous as hell to be here, nervous of them knowing about my life, Jared knew everything but part of me hoped they all didn't because I couldn't quite handle that.

As we approached them the girls both waved over at me, a little toddler was clinging to Emily's leg and I took in how cute she was, she had these ringlet curls to her hair and a beaming smile that would melt anyone's heart.

"That's Claire, Quil's imprint" Jared spoke from next to me and my eyes darted over the group of people but I couldn't see another girl.

"Who?" I asked my eyes still scanning, there was no one, just the guys I knew and three men I didn't know. One of the men was in a wheelchair, the other was fairly old and wrinkly but then the third was just a typical Quileute man, long hair, big belly, wearing typical jeans and a checked shirt. I looked back to Jared certain there wasn't another girl here and his eyes were locked on the toddler at Emily's feet. "What? She's a baby" I blew him off, she couldn't be an imprint. I wouldn't have believed it any further had I not seen the dead serious look on Jared's face and my eyes quickly found Quil sure enough he was watching the little toddler, his eyes full of concern, the same concern in Jared's eyes when he watched me like that.

"It's strange I know, only happened a few days ago but there's nothing romantic about it, strictly brotherly or friendly whatever it is, either way it's not like whatever you might be thinking" He was quick to tell me and I nodded, I was about to question him more but I was pulled toward the three old men before I could, each of their faces lighting up in smiles as I was pulled to them. I had a feeling tonight would be long and I don't think I was quite ready to be around the whole pack, especially not when my dad could be setting fire to the house as we speak.

* * *

**This story is actually not that easy to write haha anyway I hope your all enjoying it! :D leave me a review! :D xx**


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